


The Eternal Summer's Clouds

by fireside23



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Bad Thoughts, But Strangers, Dialogue Heavy, First Kiss, George's POV, Homophobia, Internalized Homophobia, Kinda, Kissing, M/M, More angst, Orlando Trip, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Protective Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF), Slow Burn, Soft Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF), Veins lol, friends - Freeform, george goes to florida, slight angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-19
Updated: 2021-02-07
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:40:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 41,713
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28178529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fireside23/pseuds/fireside23
Summary: George's Mom surprises him with a summer long trip to Florida. While vacationing in Florida he runs into a guy named Clay and his friend group. Little does he know that Clay is Dream, the person he's been talking to over the internet for many years. Summer is long, but this summer feels especially long. What happens when George struggles to balance his new RL friendship and his internet one? Things aren't as crystal clear as both guys thought.
Relationships: Clay | Dream & Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF), Clay | Dream/GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF), GeorgeNotFound/Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF)
Comments: 112
Kudos: 396





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I started writing this back in October until I realized that someone had already written a dnf fanfiction with a similar concept. It was pretty frustrating so I stopped, but I recently started again. I've hopefully written a story that goes about it differently then the other one. I never bookmarked it so I don't remember what it is called. This is my first fanfiction that I've written for AO3. It's probably not good but hopefully it's not too bad lol. 
> 
> I also want to note that I typically wouldn't write a fanfiction involving real people, but because Dream and George support it I decided to do one. However, if the CC's want it removed I will remove it. There won't be smut. I'm sorry lol. I don't do well with writing smut.

George had just woken up in his home in the UK. His mom had texted him telling him she had a big surprise for him. He groggily wiped the sleep from his eyes and stumbled to his feet. He slipped on his loafers and walked downstairs to the kitchen where his mom had prepped breakfast. She was smiling brightly from side to side as she placed the plate of eggs and sausages on the table where George sat down. The aroma of the food smacked his body awake.

As he ate, George waited for his mother to explain what the surprise was but she just ate her food causing him to sigh. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and saw that he had a message from Dream, someone who has been his best friend for years. 

_Dream: When are we going to try that Minecraft plugin we created?_

_GeorgeNotFound: I don't know. Depends on the surprise my mom has planned for me._

_Dream: Surprise? O_o_

_GeorgeNotFound: Yeah. The last time she had a surprise for me is when she invited my cousin to stay for a week and he broke my computer as a joke._

_Dream: Oh ya, I remember that. We couldn't play together for a whole 2 weeks. That sucked :/._

George looked up at his mother and asked her what the surprise was. Her brows rose as she got up from the table and walked to the drawer in the kitchen island. She pulled out a paper and placed it in front of George.

He yawned still fighting the sleep that was trying to creep back in. His eyes enhanced on one particular word halfway through the paper. "Destination:" After the word it read "Orlando International Airport."

"Uh what is this?"

His emotionless reaction contradicted his mother's overt excitement. "We're going to stay the summer in Florida."

He didn't know how to feel. A lot of thoughts ran through his mind but he was too tired to sort them out. He just looked at her and asked, "Why?" His mom's smile lightly dimmed. She thought he would be excited.

"Well you've been saying how much you want to go to Florida over the years. I figured we could go for the whole summer. I even rented a beach house for us in a city called Daytona Beach."

She wasn't lying, he had been talking about going to Florida but he never explained why. His online friend, Dream, lives there and he hoped he'd get to meet Dream. For that he was kind of excited and couldn't wait to tell Dream but he wondered how his best friend would react. There was a reason they never spoken on the phone or facetimed each other. Dream is awfully private and only feels comfortable with messaging on the phone. 

It's kind of weird and is one of the reason he has never told his friends or anyone about Dream. Imagine how weird it would be to tell someone that his best friend is some guy that lives in Florida that he's never seen. 

No. Not ideal.

But Dream isn't a complete mystery. They've sent photos to each other. Last August Dream sent a photo of his birthday cake, which had two candles, a 1 and an 8, on it. This proved that Dream was the same age as George. Dream also sent pics of a beach that he was at, and of Walt Disney World, which at least supported him saying he lived in Florida. 

"We can even go to Disney World while we are there, if you'd like," his mom offered.

"Uh sure." He didn't know what to say. He felt awkward being in between feelings causing him to be incapable of offering the gratitude his mom is searching for. A gratitude she deserves quite frankly. He shakes his head, "Sorry. Thanks for this, I'm just a little shocked is all." His mom understood.

George couldn't wait to tell Dream the news but was cautious about his reaction.

_GeorgeNotFound: Guess what?_

Dream responds almost instantly.

_Dream: What's up? Did you finally find a way to make yourself prettier?"_

_GeorgeNotFound: Um you don't even know what I look like?_

_Dream: I'm sure you are ugly :P."_

_GeorgeNotFound: You are a jerk._

_Dream: You love me, Georgie."_

George shakes his head before receiving another message from Dream.

_Dream: So what's up?_

_GeorgeNotFound: I'm not telling you now. You must apologize for hurting my feelings._

He was baiting him.

_Dream: Aww Georgie, I'm sorry. I'm sure you the most handsomest man in the world :*"_

George looks at the kissing emoji and rolls his eyes.

_GeorgeNotFound: I'm coming to Florida for the summer. Mom's renting a beach house for us._

Dream took a few moments to reply. 3 dots appeared and disappeared twice before a message was sent.

_Dream: That's cool._

It was kind of what George expected but it left him with a nagging feeling in his throat. He hoped for more.

_Dream: You are going to love it here as long as you can live with the humidity._

_Dream: Anyways I have to go do something. Maybe we can play Minecraft later._

_GeorgeNotFound: Oh okay. Sounds good :)_

_Dream: <3_

_GeorgeNotFound: <3_

It was an abrupt end to the conversation. George couldn't really tell if Dream was excited for George or not. In George's mind he knew he would want to meet up with Dream while in Florida. Maybe Dream expected a query about it and dipped before it got to that point. 

George shook his head. He didn't want to let his mind get the best of him as it usually does. He doesn't want to overthink Dream's intent or guess about what he is thinking. It doesn't help him and can hurt their relationship, something George doesn't want to do. He stared down at his phone, tracing his finger on the screen as he rereads the last few messages they had sent to each other. He stills himself at he end with the heart emotes. The crux of their relationship was that.

An undying bond between the two that expands past the letters and symbols in a text bubble. Long nights working on Minecraft, sharing stories about one another, and sharing secrets nobody else in their lives know. 

Or at least that's how it seemed. 


	2. The Beach House

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> George arrives in Florida where he happens to run into a group of boys at the arcade.

George spent most of the flight on the way to Orlando sleeping. He kept Dream apprised telling him when he got to the airport, when he was taking off and when he arrived. He didn't broach the subject of meeting up, but it was on his mind, especially on the car ride from Orlando to Daytona Beach. 

He wanted to meet his best friend. He wanted to see his face, hear his voice, get pizza with him, and maybe even play some Minecraft together in the same room. Hell he wanted to see what Dream looked like when he laughs. He wanted to put a face and a voice to the person he's given his heart to. However, he must respect Dream's wishes and not push him into something that'll make him uncomfortable. 

George and his mom arrived at the beach house. It was built right up the edge of a hill that went down to the beach. Past the sand he could see the blue ocean. The smell from the ocean, a distinct smell that fills George with a happy sensation, permeates his senses. The house had a patio which faced the beach, a place he thinks his mom will stay at for most of the trip. He pondered if he'll be able to play Minecraft on his laptop on the patio. It'd be cool to play Minecraft while looking out at the beautiful sea. 

"Up the block is the main street. You can probably find many young people to hang out and befriend there," his mom offered. 

Befriend, he mocked in his head. Making friends isn't something that he is great at doing. He doesn't really like to put himself out there and prefers to stay home and play Minecraft or work on coding stuff for it. It's not that he doesn't have any friends, but he didn't make the friendships he had on his own prerogative. In pretty much every case it involved them coming to him and him just going with the flow. 

"Oh yeah, sure. I'll get right on that," he jokes.

His mom sighed, "You're going to play that video game the whole time aren't you?"

George shrugged, "Not when we go to Disney."

After a laugh she resigned herself and walked with her luggage to her room. George's room was down a hallway which forked off to the master bedroom. The master bedroom had it's own little patio space. He was slightly jealous but he wasn't going to fuss. His bedroom was pretty large but it lacked one thing he needed; an area to put his computer. His mom gave him grief for wanting to bring his pc but George knew he couldn't be without it for a whole 3 months. His laptop wasn't going to be enough, especially with coding. 

He needed a table, just something to place his PC and monitor. Speaking of which, he needs to get a monitor as he couldn't bring his on the flight. After looking on google maps for a store he decides to take a walk to it and buy a monitor. On the way back he spots a group of guys walking into an arcade. It was the first time he saw the arcade, completely missing it on his way to the store. He thought maybe it would be fun to go there one evening. Arcades are fun.

_GeorgeNotFound: I'm all set up to play Minecraft tonight if you want._

He waited a few minutes before Dream messaged him back.

_Dream: Ah man, I'm out right now. Maybe later tonight if you are up for ruining your sleep schedule._

_GeorgeNotFound: You know I'm always up for that :)_

_Dream: Cool :)_

There have been numerous times over the years where he would stay up until the wee hours of the morning just playing Minecraft with Dream. Whether it be on a server or working on plug-ins to fool around with. They would sync their sleeping schedules to each other as much as possible.

He recalls a morning after this past Christmas when he woke up and saw that Dream was online. It was 5 AM for Dream. He messaged him asking why he was up so late and Dream ignored the question and just asked for him to get on Minecraft. He begged him. He needed his help with testing some code that he was having trouble with and he didn't know what he was doing wrong. They tweaked the code and tested it for the next 3 hours. They were so excited about the plug-in that they spent several days waking up at odd times to maximize their time playin together. 

They wouldn't just stay up to strange hours for Minecraft. They'd chat about problems in their personal life like when George was bullied for knowing how to code at school. It was one of the worst week's in George's life. A few of the popular kids not only found out that he knows how to code but that he coded stuff for Minecraft. One of the things George used to do in school was write out ideas for plug-ins. During his final year in secondary school he got bored often and this led to him writing ideas down. One of his peers, saw him writing in class and decided to target him in the hallway. He pulled his notebook out from under his arm and started going through it.

"Give it back" George demanded. Two of the other goons pulled up in front of him to keep him from getting to the guy with his notebook. 

"No, no. Let's see what you spend all of class doing." He flipped through the pages and came across the Minecraft pages. He made mocking facial expressions as he read. "Who's this Dream person? Huh?"

George began to panic. He didn't want this to become a topic for the school and have to deal with the rumors. 

"Sounds like a boyfriend," one of the goons said laughing.

The guy ripped several of the pages out of the book and then tossed it at George's feet. "There you go, nerd." 

Pleading, George begs, "Please give that back to me."

The man smiles, "No, no I don't think I will." He focuses in on one of the pages and remarks, "Mobs with Dream's skin on it," he reads directly from the page. "What the fuck is this, nerd?"

George, resigned to the situation, didn't say anything. He stood there alone as students in the hallway looked and laughed. The other boy showed some of people his papers causing them to laugh at him. He felt so insecure and alone. It was as if he was standing in the middle of the entire school and being mocked even though it's just 1% of the school there. A teacher finally interrupted and demanded that the boy hand back the papers to George. The boy smirked at him as he began to walk. As George went to grab them the boy pulled them back and ripped them up. He kept ripping them up into pieces even as the teacher yelled at him. He tossed the pieces of paper back at George and said, "There, I gave it back to him."

George left school with a heavy weight on his chest and a lump in his throat. When he got home he didn't even walk inside. He went to the back of his house and started crying. It was one of the few times that he wanted to voice call with Dream. Due to this he didn't respond to Dream's messages until that evening. There were 7 unread messages.

_2:04 PM Dream: School is such a bore. Entertain me._

_2:43 PM Dream: Or not! Fine._

_4:51 PM Dream: Uh are you okay?_

_5:07 PM: George????_

_6:25 PM: How come you are ignoring me? I saw that you were online before._

_6:32 PM: Can you please tell me what I did wrong?_

_6:34 PM: I'm sorry :'(_

It was just after 7 when George responded. 

_GeorgeNotFound: I'm sorry for not responding. Had a rough day. :/_

Dream quickly responded.

_Dream: Oh. Do you want to talk about it?_

_GeorgeNotFound: No. I want to move past it._

George didn't get to move past it that week. Every day at school he was reminded of the incident. People kept making fun of him for being a nerd. His friends defended him but they weren't fighting for him. It was almost half-hearted.

"Dream would fight back," he thought to himself numerous times throughout the week. He wished Dream was there to deal with bullies and make him feel better. 

George saw a social media post about him have over 250 likes with several comments of people posting laughing emotes. Even people he was friendly with were liking the post. He obsessed over who was liking and commenting negatively about him. He was recalling any and all interactions with those people. Most he didn't really know, but some he did. It ate away at him how easy it was for people he didn't really know to dogpile on him. It led to him crying so much he even voice messaged Dream. It was the first and only time he's done that.

"I know I've never met you but I wish you were here, Dream."

When he saw Dream was online he waited for a response. He realized how unfair he was being to Dream so he apologized to him.

_Dream: Don't apologize, George. I'm sorry for what you are going through._

_Dream: *Hugs tightly*_

It was the best Dream could muster over text and George was grateful for it. A new surge of tears streamed down his face, but this time he felt like he wasn't alone. That night George stayed up until 4AM talking to him. 

_____

Over the next couple days George more or less stayed inside his room fiddling with his PC and working on a bit of coding for Dream. When he wasn't inside the room he was out on the patio taking in the scenery. His mom, concerned that he wasn't taking in all the area had to offer him, told him to go to the beach. He didn't want to. He didn't go to the beach that much in the UK so it's not something that entices him, but it was nice to look at. Dream is the total opposite. According to him his parents own a beachfront home that they go to every summer and he loves going to the beach every day.

Due to his mom bugging him, George decided to go to that arcade he saw down the road. When he walked in he had a rush of excitement. One of his favorite games to play is Skee-ball even though it is hard to rack up a lot of tickets. The Skee-ball game here gave out bonus tickets if you reach 600 points, which is pretty hard to do. But the 1200 bonus tickets reward was very enticing. 

So he gave it a shot. There were a group of boys a few feet to his right. They were watching a dirty blonde haired boy roll the ball up the ramp and cheering him on. He had rackets up 440 points with two balls to go. After he got one ball in the 100 point ring the boys hyped him up a bit. The one with the white bandana was really hyping him. 

He missed the 100 point ring with his last ball. But he had tasted the jackpot and kept going. Meanwhile, George was just getting around 200-300 points. Eventually he got tired of not getting better so he left.

"Giving up," a voice said nearby. He looked over and saw the taller boy looking at him. 

"Um, yeah. I'm just not good at it I guess." He was nervous and awkward.

The boy just smiled as he held a ball in his hand. "That's cause you are aiming the ball all wrong." The boy walks over to George and point to a specific point on the ramp. It is right where the ramp begins a sharper incline. "Richochet off of that and you'll have better luck getting that 100 points. But try aiming at the 40 for a bit. You can throw 5 balls and score 40 points and then go for 100. Better than going for 100 at the start, realizing you can't get to 600 and then trying to rack up as many safe points as you can."

George didn't feel like playing more but something about this boy made him feel like he had to keep going. Maybe it was that he felt it would be disrespectful not to.

"I see. Um I'll give a try I guess. Thanks"

Both guys went back to playing the game. George got better but wasn't reaching the scores that the other one was. Eventually he did give up but wanted to stay nearby to watch the other guy attempt to get the jackpot. 

One of the guys' friends came back but didn't distract him. Instead the guy recognized George playing Skee-ball earlier and said, "He's kind of insane if you haven't noticed."

"I have," he said nervously.

The guy looked at him and then looked around. "So are you alone here?"

George's heart stopped for a brief moment. Would it be weird that he was there by himself? "Yeah. I'm on vacation."

The guy chuckled, "Yeah I know."

Confused George asked, "How do you know?"

"Bro, your accent."

George was embarrassed. "Right, uh, that makes sense. I forgot somehow." They both chuckled. 

"No worries, man. If you want you can hang with us. We're a pretty chill crew, well except for Sapnap."

George instinctively folded and shook his head. "Oh no, I don't want to intrude on you guys." George knew this was going to go one of two ways. The guy was either going to insist which George would then relent. The second, and more preferable scenario, is that the guy doesn't insist. 

"Fair enough. I get it. Anyways we're going to be here frequently over the summer so you are welcome to chill with us."

Thankfully George didn't have to be put in an uncomfortable position but he appreciated the other boy for leaving the door open. He almost hopes he'll get to see him again.

"Okay thanks."

"By the way, I'm Punz."

"George," he responds with a brief smile. 

A siren goes off nearby. The dirty blonde haired boy had scored 640 points getting the jackpot for Skee-ball. Punz left George to join the other boy and hype him up. When the other 2 boys from their crew showed up George decided to dip and go play games on the other side of the arcade. After a couple more hours of playing games he walked away with over 6k tickets. He decided to give the tickets to a family who had two smaller kids. He had no use for them, he just wanted to have fun. 

After getting back home and taking a shower he messaged Dream asking if he wanted to play Minecraft on a server. 

_Dream: Sure! Give me 15 minutes, I'm currently walking back home."_

_GeorgeNotFound: I'll be waiting. <3_

_Dream: <3_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure how frequently I will update. At the very least it'll be once a week, but I may get restless and upload more than once a week lol. This will probably be somewhere around 10 chapters but I'm not sure.


	3. The Summer's Shine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> George gets formally introduced to Clay and his friends through a small incident at the beach. This begins Clay's task of bringing George out of his bubble for a night at the arcade. All the while George struggles to contain where his eyes look and how his brain thinks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a very light chapter but it's not short. There is also quite a bit of dialogue. 
> 
> If the CC's want this work removed then I will delete it.

After two weeks of being at the beach house, George finally decided to go to the beach. He had been getting bored during the afternoons because Dream was always going out. Playing Minecraft without Dream was actually pretty boring. 

His mom was already at the beach as she has befriended the other moms nearby. As he walked on the extremely hot sand he wondered if he should pitch his towel near his mom or far away. He went with the latter option because he didn't want her to embarrass him. He sat down on his towel and after placing sun-tan lotion on him he plopped his airpods in and laid down whilst listening to his chill playlist on Spotify.

The sun radiated harshly on his body. It was not the weather he was used to in the UK. Summers in the UK are never this hot. It may approach 90 degrees a couple times but it's never like this. This is a hot sun that is trying to melt you alive. As he sits up and reapplies suntan lotion to his face he hears someone yell, "Watch out!" It didn't register and even if it did it was too late.

***Bonk***

A football hits him square on the back of the head.

"Ah shit," he hears someone mutter behind him. It was a familiar voice, "Hey you okay, man?" George turns around and sees one of the boys he met at the arcade awhile back. "Oh, well this is awkward. Sorry about that."

A couple of the other boys walk over to check up on him as Punz helps him up to his feet. 

"Uh, it's fine."

Punz shakes his head. "Nope, no it's not. You sure you are okay?" 

"Punz, he said it's fine," another boy said dismissively.

"Shut up, Sapnap. Of course he's going to say it's fine. It's him, one person, surrounded by 4 other people. Read the room."

The boy named Sapnap goes to speak but the taller boy, the one with dirty-blonde hair who scored the jackpot in Skee-ball interrupts him. "He's right, Sapnap." He turns his attention to George and apologizes. "The ball slipped out of my hand when I went to throw it. Damn lotion."

George shrugs, "It's fine. I guess. I don't exactly think I'm capable of doing anything about it even if I wanted to."

The reply sent an awkward chill between them as the 4 other boys looked at each other searching for a response. George knew he fucked up with the delivery of his line. He closed his eyes and shook his head. "I clearly was concussed." A nervous laugh squeezes out of his mouth.

The boy who threw the ball smiled and apologized again before walking off with his friends, football in hand. George stared for a few seconds before taking a deep breath. He bent down, picked up his towel, and walked back to the home. He regretted coming to the beach and figured the incident was a sign from the universe to just stay inside. And so he did for the rest of the day.

_GeorgeNotFound: I just had an embarrassing day_

Dream didn't respond. George kept looking back at his phone and saw Dream was offline. He assumed he was out or just busy so he tossed his phone on the bed and fooled around on Minecraft. After a couple hours he got tired and took a nap. 

He woke up to his phone buzzing next to his face. He had fallen asleep with his phone in his hand near his face. He opened one eye and saw that he was messaged by Dream. 

_Dream: Aww, what happened?_

_GeorgeNotFound: Eh I'm just too awkward. It's whatever. How was your day?_

_Dream: It was good. Had some fun with friends at the beach._

_GeorgeNotFound: That's good. Can you have fun with me next time?"_

_Dream: What kind of fun? ;)_

The winky emote sent George into a fit of laughter. 

_GeorgeNotFound: The best and most satisfying kind._

There was something natural and heart-warming with playfully flirting with Dream. But George himself wasn't sure if he was playful or if it was something else. 2 years ago he came out to his best friend. He had been struggling for several months with his sexuality feeling as if he had to come out even though he knew he didn't have to. There was a strange weight on his shoulders for having this secret. Especially when it came to his best friend. Shouldn't a best friend know something like this? Isn't that what having a best friend is all about? George struggled with keeping that secret even though he shouldn't have to. 

But one night while Dream was helping him with his paper he felt the need to share his biggest secret. It built up for far too long.

_GeorgeNotFound: We're best friends right?_

_Dream: Of course :). Why you ask?_

_GeorgeNotFound: This may seem weird but I've been keeping something from you that I feel like I need to tell you._

_Dream: Wait, is this a serious conversation?_

_GeorgeNotFound: Yeah :/_

_Dream: Oh. I'm here for you, you know that. But I don't want you to feel pressured or obligated to tell me anything._

_GeorgeNotFound: I know. I think. So um, I'm gay._

_George watched as the text bubble appeared at least 3 times before a message was sent._

_Dream: Is that it?_

_GeorgeNotFound: ...Ya_

_Dream: <3 <3 <3_

The 3 hearts made George cry. In a good way of course. HIs best friend was accepting him and making him feel loved. It was a moment that cemented their friendship in George's eyes. 

\----

Later that evening there was a knock on the door. George's mom had gone out to the bar with the other mom's. On the other side of the door was the tall dirty-blonde haired boy from the arcade and beach. 

_Jesus fuck_. How does he know where he is living? Panic set in. He took a deep breath, or 4, and finally opened the door. 

"Hey!" The boy said with a half smile. "Um I saw you come to this house earlier and I felt really bad for today. I just wanted to check and see if you were okay."

 _How sweet._ His mood flipped like pancake.

"I don't know, I can't see colors."

The boy's eyes exploded wide open. "Wait, seriously?" 

George just stared at him seriously which confused the concerned boy. "Well I'm colorblind so..." his voice trailed off. He offered a weak smile while nervously rubbing his elbow.

The boy sighed in relief and then chuckled. "Oh good. You really had me there."

"Consider that to be payback."

"Fair play. I'll take that over the physical violence that you alluded to earlier."

George cringed. "I wasn't eluding to that. I mean look at me. I would lose in a fight to a toddler."

The other boy laughed, "That's true." George pretended to be offended. "Anyways, um, my friend Punz said that you didn't want to hang out with us at the arcade a while back. He said you were scared. So seeing as to how you are no longer scared, I think you can come hang out with us tonight."

George didn't know what to do with this psychoanalysis of his actions. The sea breeze tore through the boy in front of him and hit George hard as he caught a waft of what he assumed to be the other boy's shampoo. The salty breeze combined with the strong scent of hardwood or bark mixed with spices. It made his nose flare. Time froze as he peeked the shining smile of the boy in front of him. His hair looks more brown than it did earlier in the day. The orange glow from the setting blazes a fire across the right side of his face. He noticed things he hasn't before like his green eyes and nearly perfect jawline. 

A weakness settled in. 

Shit

"Um I don't know. I'm not really good with social interactions."

The boy looked perplexed. "You seemed to do well with me just now."

 _That's true._ There was a weird feeling of comfort in talking to this boy. 

"The name is Clay, by the way. Kind of weird that I know your name and you don't know mine."

"Oh. Yeah, I guess so." He softly chuckles as Clay brushes his hair from obscuring his eye. He backs away from the door frame and asks, "Do you want a drink?"

Clay smiled and nodded. "That'd be nice."

 _What the hell am I doing? Why am I inviting this stranger into my home?_ He stepped into the home and walked to the kitchen. He had no clue what was in the fridge because he's only been drinking apple juice. He sees Clay slowly looking around taking in the surroundings. The house was fairly boring, and there wasn't much that they have added to it for their own needs. Most of the inside is painted white with furniture that is white or light blue. It's pretty bland but it is what it is. 

"You've rented this out, right? 

He nods, "Yeah. My mom thought it'd be cool to come here for the summer so she rented this out for us."

"Oh actually I think I know about that. Your mom has that small dark blue purse, right?" George nodded. "Yeah, she was with my mom earlier. They went out for some drinks. You see, we uh, live right next door." 

"Really?" George couldn't quantify how nervous he felt. This good looking guy is living next door. "By the way what do you want to drink? We really only have water and apple juice."

"Yeah, which is cool I guess. And, uh, apple juice is more than fine." 

George pulls out the apple juice and pours both of them a cup of it. Half way through pouring his glass he realizes he has a cup of apple juice in his room. He just shrugs the thought off and keeps pouring. 

"So you live in the UK, right?"

"Yeah."

"That's so cool. I want to go one day. I have a friend who lives there."

"It's okay. It's quite the contrast to here though. The weather is the biggest difference. I could not do this all summer long. I go outside and I feel like the sun is an actual enemy."

They both laugh. George is endeared by Clay's infectious laugh. "Yeah my friend says it's cloudy and rains quite a bit."

George nods in agreement. 

The two boys talked a bit. George learned that Clay lived in Orlando and that he went to high school with the 3 other boys he hangs out with. As Clay talks the other boy takes more notice of his features and what he was wearing. The tight green shirt he was wearing showed off the definition of his arms. 

The veins. Internally, he shook his head for looking at his veins and kept the image in his brain to replay it. He felt like he was violating him since they really just met for the first time. The moment they are having an actual conversation and he is just enamored with the veins going down his forearm. 

_Sick_. 

"So my offer still stands. The boys and I are going to that arcade up the block. We're going to play some ping pong and probably pool if there is a table open. I would like fi you came, actually. It'd suck to leave you alone. We're a cool crew, I think. Well except for Sapnap, but you'll get used to him." A wry smile appeared on his face.

"Oh. I didn't know there were a ping pong table there."

Clay smiled, "Come and you'll see."

George didn't want to say no, but he didn't want to say yes either. The insecurity he was having was combating this confidence he had talking to Clay. But he was going to do it. He didn't want to seem like a loser and who knows maybe it'll be a fun time. He also gets to be around a hot guy and that's always a plus.

"I'll make sure you don't feel left out." He had a warm and welcoming smile that exuded trust. Trust that George wouldn't normally have in someone. But he did.

"Okay. Um let me just get ready."

George walked into his room and placed his hands on his face and violently exhaled. His stomach was turning inside out. He pulled out his phone and immediately messaged Dream.

_GeorgeNotFound: Can we please play minecraft later tonight?_

It was a request for a back up plan. A plan to save him if tonight goes poorly with Clay. He received a response pretty quickly.

_Dream: Yeah sure. Crackhead hours?_

_GeorgeNotFound: Always._

_Dream: <3_

_GeorgeNotFound: <3_

George stepped outside of his room with his new clothing and saw Clay looking down at his phone with a grin on his face. When he saw George he put the phone away and had a different smile. "You look good! Sapnap may get offended if you steal women from him."

He could feel his cheeks warm up. 

When they arrive at the arcade the other 3 boys are already there. Punz and Sapnap are talking to each other about whether or not Pizza Hut is better than Dominos. Meanwhile, Bad, who is wearing a weird shirt with a duck on the sleeve, is on his phone. Punz and Bad seemed easily approachable but Sapnap didn't. There was something about him that seemed unwelcoming but the way he was around his friends betrayed that. 

It was clear from the early interactions that Clay was the leader of this group. When Clay said, "Let's go," they all followed him. They didn't question it. 

"So new kid-" Sapnap said randomly. 

"It's George," Punz interrupts.

Sapnap shrugs, "Yeah yeah. George," he starts in a funny voice, "do you like pizza hut or dominos more?"

George looked over at Punz who just rolled his eyes and mouthed to him not to engage Sapnap. But he did anyways.

"Dominos."

Sapnap sighed. "So uncultured. Clay, why is he here again?"

George just looked bewildered at Punz who hit Sapnap over the head. "Sapnap, don't joke like that with George. He doesn't get when you are kidding." Clay jokingly admonishes his friend as well. 

"Who says I'm kidding?" he responds in a monotone voice. George couldn't tell if he was actually serious and started to get nervous. 

"C'mon you muffinhead. Don't be mean."

"Uh, I could leave," George whispers.

They all stop walking towards the empty ping pong table and the mood suddenly does a 180. Punz sighs as he steps to the side but Clay just glares at Sapnap. 

"Woah. Dude I'm just joshing you." Sapnap says under the leering eyes of Clay who throws his arm around George. His arm felt heavier than it should've. 

Tugging the smaller boy, Clay says, "Come, lets play some ping pong."

Punz interjected, "Oh I don't know who is meaner, you or Sapnap?"

Clay confidently smirked as he stepped in front of one side of the table and grabbed a paddle. George just looked at the guys for some sort of clue as to what was going on. He was so confused with the dynamics and inner workings of this group. He felt so lost but Clay was challenging him to ping-pong. His smile was still warm. So he grabbed the other paddle and the ball that was under it.

"Oh. He has no clue what he is up against. Truly no clue," Punz says as he resigns himself to the nearby stool. 

George fake confidence with a smile, "Or maybe he doesn't have a clue."

The boys raise their brows and chuckle together. 

"Alright, new kid. Let's see what you are made of."

In the middle of loud and crowded lower floor of the arcade where the smells of people, food and objects remain stagnant the two boys ready up to play a game of ping-pong. 

Bad makes a remark out of nowhere, "Did you guys know another name for ping-pong is whiff whaff?"

Sapnap cackles. 

"No, no we didn't Bad," Clay calmly says yet he rolls his eyes. 

The two play a long game of ping pong where Clay was dominating, but George began to settle in and fought back. He was motivated to show that he belonged and to shut up Sapnap who was trash talking for Clay. When the score hit 18 all Sapnap flipped and began to trash talk Clay.

"You are a traitor, Sapnap."

"Don't suck then."

"Yeah don't suck, dunderhead."

Clay dropped his paddle and jokingly stared at Bad. "Do you even know what dunderhead means?"

Bad nodded and called Clay it again.

"Ass," Clay remarks.

"Language!"

_Did he just yell language?_

Clay and George continued their close match and in the end Clay finally won. He made sure to rub it in George's face as a way to make him feel like he is just another one of the boys. It worked. George began to mellow out and even went as far to text Dream that he thinks he made a new friend. He didn't get a response right away but he didn't feel the need to wait with dying breath for one either.

The boys spent the rest of the night playing ping-pong, pool and darts. One of the dynamics that he learned about the group is that Bad is the punching bag. At first George felt bad but after beating him at a game of pool he called him a bitch just to rile him up. Bad had turned to Sapnap and Clay and accused them of turning the "new blood" against him. He even seemed offended, which George learned was an act to guilt trip his friends.

He stopped feeling bad.

After they were done playing games they went home. Clay and George walked together. The heat from earlier in the day at subsided to a cool evening with a decent sea breeze to boost. There wasn't a cloud in the sky indicating little to no humidity which has been rare to come by George kind of wished that the night wouldn't end but he was still happy with how well it went. When they pulled up to their homes the tall boy remarked how his mom was still out, which meant that George's mom was still out too. It was rare for her to be out this late, let alone drinking if the other boy was right. 

"Did you have a good time?" Clay asked sincerely, his voice soft traveling on a cool breeze. 

"I did, actually."

He grinned. "I could tell. I'm glad though. I thought maybe I was being too forceful earlier."

"You kind of were, but I'm glad you were."

"Alright well, I'll see you tomorrow, George."

"See ya, Clay." 

George walked into his beach house with a big grin on his face. He checked his phone and saw he had a message from Dream from a couple hours ago. He instantly felt bad for not even noticing.

_Dream: I'm so glad to hear! I hope you had a good time ^-^._

_GeorgeNotFound: I did! Sorry for not responding. Are you still down for Minecraft?"_

A few minutes passed before Dream responded giving George some time to settle down, get a drink and get on his computer. He could see Clay outside on his front porch scrolling on his phone. 

_Dream: Of course. Can you give me like 10 minutes?_

_GeorgeNotFound: Anything for you, Dream!_

_Dream: Ooo maybe I should take advantage of this._

_GeorgeNotFound: 0_o_

_Dream: :*_

The kissing emote raised the hairs on his arm as if he was transported to the Arctic. But it made his heart pound warmth to his cheeks and nose. While playing with Dream he couldn't help but think about Clay and maybe playing Minecraft with him. But did Clay play Minecraft? He didn't seem like the type.

_Dream: So you found a new friend, huh?_

_GeorgeNotFound: Yup. He's kind of chill._

_Dream: You're going to replace me with him aren't you? :(_

_GeorgeNotFound: How could I replace my best friend? Huh? Riddle me that, Dream?_

_Dream: Maybe I'm not really your best friend and you've been lying to me all this time._

_GeorgeNotFound: I stay up til 5 in the morning for you. I've skipped classes because you didn't let me sleep. So I don't want to hear it._

_Dream: Are you taking notes of your grievances?_

_GeorgeNotFound: Maybe I am._

_Dream: That's cute :)_

_GeorgeNotFound: How?_

_Dream: Everything you do is cute. You are cute._

_GeorgeNotFound: You've never seen my face. How do you know I'm cute?_

_Dream: I don't know. I can just tell._

George shakes his head, but feels very flush. He looks up from his phone and sees Clay smiling as he looks at his phone. 

_GeorgeNotFound: You are absurd. I'm not cute, and maybe one day you'll find out!_

_Dream: Maybe._

George gets up from his chair to refill his cup with apple juice. He peaks into the master bedroom and sees that his mom is still not home. She hasn't texted him once, which is abnormal, but it was also a relief. When he gets back to his room he sees that Clay has left his seat on the porch. 

_Dream: You ready?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Decided to get a chapter out by Christmas for you guys. I'm pretty anxious about putting up chapters but also excited lol. My writing is very much a work in process so please bear with it. My next chapter likely won't be out until after the weekend, but again I can get restless and just throw it up on Sunday. I've been working on this fanfiction and another one that is more Dream SMP based. It's also more story intensive but I don't know if I'm going to post it here. I'll probably write half of it, see if I like it, and go from there.


	4. The Mask

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> George hangs out with Clay and his friends including a little 1 on 1 time. This leaves him feeling not just a deeper connection with the other boy, but a growing affection. However, what does that mean for his relationship with Dream?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really planned for this to come out on Sunday. It was going to be 3800 words and then I added another 1000 words to it. A few things happen here that I think really starts to lay the foundation for what is to come. I really hope there aren't too many errors. After rereading this chapter 5 times my eyes kind of glance through it lol. Anyways I hope you all enjoy.

George was awoken by his mom who told him that a boy was asking for him. Immediately he knew it was Clay so he was curious what he wanted. The boy was wearing a light blue tank top as he scrolled on his phone. 

_Is he always on his phone? Should I really be judging him?_

Seeing the handsome guy in his living room made him realize just how ugly he probably looked since he just woke up. Of course the guy did not ignore that when he asked, "Late night?" George nodded and yawned right on time. "Yeah, same. I was on my phone all night until it died. It's a bad habit."

George related to that. He and Dream have texted into the night until their phones have died. They've even bet on whose phone would die the soonest. 

"So me and the boys are going to the boardwalk and pier with the water park and all that fun stuff. I figured I'd ask if you want to join us."

George shrugged. "Sure."

"Okay. Maybe do your hair and get a bathing suit on."

He cocked his head, "Are you saying my hair is ugly?"

Taken aback Clay giggled, "Well you kind of look like a feral cat."

"Wow. That is so offensive. I'm going to cry now," he drawly responds.

Clay cackles as he shoos George away. 

George decided not to bring his phone because he was told there were water rides so he didn't want to risk his phone. He didn't text Dream but he figured it would be okay. He'd probably come back for dinner anyways. Clay didn't seem all that concerned about getting his phone wet since he brought his. So did Sapnap, but he wasn't the bright bulb of the group. Walking on the boardwalk it was obvious that Clay knew the area and had been here before. He was giving a run down of everything that was nearby and what they can do. 

The first thing they did was get lunch at this burger place. George completely forgot to bring money so he had to leech off of Clay who was more than willing to pay for his meal. After eating food they went to the waterpark nearby. It was pretty small but it was the hottest day so far so he'd take any bit of water that he could get. On the way to the large tube and body slides he saw that there was an arcade and a mini golf course. That piqued his interest.

"We can play that tonight if you'd like." Clay offered.

"Maybe, we'll see if I want to embarrass you."

Clay pushed George jokingly. 

"Get a room you two," Punz says.

"Can I join?" Sapnap says causing an uproar between he and Clay. That was another thing George realized. Sapnap and Clay seem to be the close pair of the group. There was a cohesiveness between them that no other pair had. 

When they got to the body slides Clay was first to go. He had to take off his tank top before laying in the tube. George caught himself staring at his new friend's body and felt a surge of guilt and warmth at the same time. The abs. He closed his eyes and mentally tried to wipe the image from his mind. His now rigid body was startled when a hand from behind gave it a shove.

"Bro, it's your turn," Sapnap said plainly.

The thrill from going down the body slide allowed his brain to reset from previous thoughts. However, seeing Clay's smile when he hopped out of the pool of water brought them back. He wished he had his phone to ask Dream what to do because surely he would know. 

The boys enjoyed a relaxing time near the wave pool and lazy river. Whilst in the lazy river, Clay wanted to take advantage of how empty it was and challenged everyone to a race. The rules were simple, the first to do 2 full laps through the course of the lazy river would win $10 from each of the other 4 boys. George was unsure why this had to be competitive, but the deep competitive streak within him couldn't say no.

Bad, not the competitive one was against the idea. "I'm not going to partake."

"Oh come on Bad. Why can't you have fun for once?" Clay teases. 

"Cause he's a pussy," Sapnap chides.

"Language!" he pauses and shakes his head at Sapnap. Continuing he says, "I think it's fun to just relax on the lazy river." He emphasized the word lazy and looked at Sapnap when he did so. The other just mouthed the word pussy in response.

After doing two laps George regretted the decision to take up Clay on his challenge. His shoulder hurt from the backstrokes in the tube. He also got caught up with a group of children and he didn't want to ruin their experience on the ride. He was almost sure that Clay was on his own when he saw Punz get off his tube and help a kid who had fallen off his and was nowhere near his parents. He helped bring the kid, who was distressed, to his parents who were stopped on one of the sides of the river. Sapnap stopped after one lap and chilled the rest of the way.

He finished second but surely it was a big L considering he and Clay were the only ones actually trying. When everyone got off the river Sapnap and Punz agreed that George should be the one to pay up. They laughed as they saw George look to Clay for help, but didn't get any.

"Are those two brothers?" George asks Clay.

Sapnap and Punz stopped laughing and looked at George simultaneously. His eyebrows rose quickly as Clay cracks into a hysteric wheeze. 

"We are not brothers," they say at the same time causing Clay to decompose.

"They aren't," he finally musters in between desperate gasps of air.

"Oh. Hard to tell. They either hate each other or are best friends." George knew he was poking the bear. 

Clay joined in perfectly, "Same person different font."

Punz immediately took offense to that but everyone around him was laughing. "That was too far, Clay. Take that back."

Sapnap teasingly ruffled Punz's hair. "Oh Punzy, he doesn't need to take it back. You know he's speaking the truth." 

The serious boy glared at Sapnap, "I'm going to kill you."

"Language," Bad whispers. 

Sapnap throws his arm around Punz and says, "No you aren't." Punz doesn't fight him. He musters a brief smile causing everyone to laugh. 

He looks over at Clay forcing a serious face, "Don't ever say that again. At least not in public."

As the sun began to set, George registered that he's been out without his phone for so long. He didn't even know what time it was. He looked over to Clay who seemed bothered by something on his own phone. He had been going to his phone frequently over the last couple hours or so, but George wasn't going to pry. When he asked for the time his stomach seemingly turned on as if it remembered that it needed food. The crew agreed to get dinner together after going back to their homes and showering. Everyone but George seemed to know that they were coming back to this place afterwards. He wanted to stay at the home and maybe play Minecraft with Dream, but Clay convinced him to hang out.

He'd still give Dream a chance to convince him otherwise, though.

On the way back home, Clay trailed in the back with Bad letting Sapnap and Punz lead the way with George in between. It was normal for Clay to lead the pack so he was intrigued by this sudden shift in dynamic. Sapnap seemed to recognize something was wrong when he looked back at the dirty-blonde haired boy who was glued to his phone. His look soured and stayed but he didn't bother him. He instantly picked back up the conversation he was having with Punz. For a brief moment his eyes connected with George. They both knew the other was aware of Clay's change in demeanor.

Confused and slightly nosey, George slowed his tempo to linger back towards Clay and Bad. They were having a light discussion, dominated by Bad, about their favorite snack. In a soft tone Clay asks George what his favorite snack. 

"Kit-Kats are great but there's this one snack from the UK, a Jaffa Cake, that is my favorite." 

Clay's face blossomed lightly. "I've had them before. They are quite good." He put his phone away.

George recalls talking about Jaffa Cakes with Dream. They both liked talking about snacks which usually led to them eating loads of it during the conversation. George had wanted to ship him some Jaffa Cakes and other British snacks but Dream didn't want him to waste his money incase he didn't like them. However, weeks later Dream messaged him a photo of Jaffa Cakes that he had ordered after their conversation. He then sent a series of photos including one of a Jaffa Cake on the counter by it self followed by a Jaffa Cake with a bite taken from it. The last photo was of Dream giving it a thumbs up with an almost completely eaten Jaffa Cake behind the thumb. George was filled with a weird sensation after his best friend had approved of his favorite snack. It's like another thing that they can enjoy together. What George specifically thought of was going to Orlando to see Dream, they're playing Minecraft and eating Jaffa Cakes together. Such a small thought but comes with a lot of comfort and...warmth. 

After taking a shower, he goes to his phone and sees he has 3 texts from Dream from throughout the day.

 **2:27PM** _Dream: What are you doing today?_

 **3:13PM** _Dream: I guess you are with your new friend. I swear I'm not clingy! :)_

 **6:52PM** _Dream: Do you want to try out that plug-in again?_

It was 8:36PM. George instantly felt bad for not having his phone all day long.

_GeorgeNotFound: Hey! Sorry for the late response. I could play if you want._

_Dream: No worries :). I'm actually hanging with friends tonight. Maybe later if I'm not too tired?_

A stillness invades his thoughts. 

_GeorgeNotFound: Sure. <3_

He had given Dream a chance to make his plans. He wanted to play with him and it seems that Dream's original plan was to play Minecraft too. As he stares at the text bubbles and see the times of each text he realizes that it was him going AFK was the reason Dream is going to hang with his friends. He must've made those plans after he was ignored for the 3rd time and for several hours.

_Dream: <3 <3_

George could sense the hearts were hiding something, but then a knock on the door interferes with his thoughts. 

"Hey George," the handsome neighbor says as he stands on the porch. His head is lightly cocked. "Wanna go to the mini golf course you saw earlier?"

George smiled, "I would like that very much."

The course was pretty big and had some interesting designs. It seemed to have a pirate theme to it. The competitive nature of the boys exuded significantly. Sapnap, Punz and Clay both hype themselves up saying they would win. It then turned into a ribbing contest between Sapnap and Punz.

"Punz, you couldn't beat me at mini golf if I was blinded."

"Bro you are fucking blind. You said this afternoon that you were handsome."

Bad interjected, "Language."

"Oh okay. You always have to get personal, huh? Why is that, hmmm? Can't beat me at anything so you have to tear me down?! That's just mean." His tone was sardonic. It waved between serious and joking even though he was looking seriously at the other boy.

George and Clay held their laughter as they looked at each other.

"I literally beat you at ping pong yesterday. What are you talking about!?"

Sapnap shook his head. "I was tired. That doesn't count."

"Oh yeah you guys aren't brothers," George mutters under his breath before taking a swig of apple juice from his water bottle. 

"Did we ask?!" Sapnap quips.

George couldn't tell if he was serious or not. 

"Enough bickering, children. Let's play and put this ridiculous conversation to sleep."

Punz chuckled, "He'll literally make an excuse if he loses."

Clay laughed, "Yeah, I know. Amuse him though."

"Are we playing or are we bitchin?" Sapnap asked annoyed with his friends. 

"Language," Bad remarks as he measure the golf clubs in order to pick the right one. 

When the game begins, Sapnap seeks to sabotage Punz by screaming as he lightly swings the club. Everybody in the area looks over at them causing George to feel uncomfortable. He's even further uncomfortable when a hand is place on the nape of his neck. It was sudden and he wasn't expecting it. 

"Don't worry about onlookers. You'll get used to it with these jackasses."

"Language."

"Shit. Fuck. Ass. Piss."

"AYYY AYYY! Language!"

More eyes gaze upon them. Clay tells George to go ahead and hit the ball while the other 3 bicker. They haven't picked their clubs so Clay and George will go ahead and play their own game. They eventually get to the 3rd hole before the other 3 begin, which is exactly what George wants considering Sapnap keeps bringing attention to them. 

As Clay stands and aims his shot, George couldn't help but look at him intently. The moment when the other boy had placed his hand on his neck re-enters his mind and send a warmth through his body even as the sea breeze combats it with a chill. He can't remember a time when someone, especially a guy, made him feel so vulnerable. Like at any moment Clay could tear him apart like a house of cards or build him up like some stone castle. In a way Clay has this influence on him that not even Dream has probably because he sees what Clay looks like. He's not just infatuated with the personality but the appearance of Clay.

To distract his mind he pulls out his phone and sees that he doesn't have a message from Dream. He doesn't know why he was expecting one but he was filled with instant disappointment. Whenever he sees Dream's name on his phone it always makes him a little bit happier. 

It's like serotonin. 

"Hey man, you okay?" a clouded voice says. George shakes his head of the clouds and sese Clay standing in front of him trying to get his attention. His eyes feel like it is piercing his thoughts gathering intel. 

"Yeah, sorry. I'm just tired I guess." 

Clay gives a reassuring smile and waits for George to hit the ball. Behind him Sapnap yells, "We're coming for that ass, Clay!"

"Language!," Bad yells after him. 

George chuckles. Clay is left with his head in his hands but George can hear a muffled laugh. 

The game of mini golf goes on and things get competitive between the two boys. So much so that George begins to forget about the other 3 that are trailing them. That is until they are interrupted a few times by Sapnap but they keep barreling through. 

When they get to the 16th hole and take stock of what it entail they see that it has a traditional hole gimmick that all mini golf courses have; a windmill. Except this one has two windmills that are spinning at different speeds. Both windmills were painted black with streaks of red going through the middle of each blade. George watched both of the windmills and tried to time his shot but it was off. It ricocheted off the windmill and came back to his feet. He proceeded to do the same thing two more times and got flustered. 

"This is how I lose," he complains referencing his 3 stroke lead.

Clay nods, "Maybe not. Lemme try and give it a go. I don't want you to do get too down on yourself."

George stepped back and let the other boy take his shot. In the meantime he looked at his phone and saw he had a message from Dream from a half hour ago.

_Dream: How are you doing?_

He put his phone back and thought about how he would respond to it after the game is done. His mind couldn't help overthink the text.

Is he asking because he isn't having a good time and needs a distraction? Is he concerned that he somehow hurt my feelings for having plans after originally asking me to do something? He shouldn't be guilty about that. Could it be something else altogether? Maybe he just wants to talk. 

Clay took his shot and it went through both windmills to the other side to the hole where it skimmed off of, directed to the wall to the left. 

"You said you didn't want me to get too down, Clay. What happened with that?"

Clay stifled a laugh, "Oh, uh, I still mean that. I showed that it can be done and now I'm going to cheer you on. Lets Go!"

George shook his head, "Ass."

Clay dramatized his reaction with a hand over his heart, "Language," he says firmly. They both look at each other with serious faces waiting for the other to crack. Neither outlasts the other as they both crack into a laugh at the same time. 

George takes another shot at the hole and dings off the second windmill causing the ball to come back through the first one leaving him exasperated. Before shooting again, Sapnap yells, causing him to mishit the ball. He doesn't look at the obnoxious boy who he can hear chuckling a few holes away. He takes a deep breath and hits the ball again to claps from Clay as the ball makes its way to the hole. He thought Clay was mocking him but when he looked at him and saw his half smile he knew that Clay was actually hyping him up. 

And just like that the butterflies hatched from their cocoons in his stomach and began to wreak havoc. 

Clay finished up his ball with a 2 stroke hole. 

It is how he lost the game. He lost by 1 stroke. 

When the game was over they joined the rest of the crew to figure out what they were going to do for the rest of the night. Sapnap told them that they planned to go into the arcade for a little bit before checking out the Bandshell. Clay wasn't interested in going to the arcade because it can get to rowdy and he just wanted to chill. He and George settled on going to the giant ferris wheel a couple blocks away closer to the pier. 

George saw Clay look to his phone and slow his pace ever so slightly. His brows furrowed by something he was reading and was typing out a response. George felt wrong to just look over at him, but he was concerned. He was even further concerned when the other boy put his phone down, sighed, and then pretended as if nothing was wrong. He had a smile on his face as he asked if George wanted to get ice cream before going to the wheel.

A mask. He was wearing a mask. The smile was hiding his real feelings. But the things about masks is that they rarely ever cover the eyes and eyes always tend to tell the truth. In this scenario the eyes will always betray the mask itself because it doesn't belong. 

Clay's eyes did not fit with the smile on the mask. They displayed desperation, hurt and a longing.

"I'm paying," George says with a smile. "Only fair since you won the game."

"Bet." The mask fractured exposing a real smile. It was brief, but visible. 

When they were on line George looked at his phone and finally responded to Dream.

_GeorgeNotFound: I'm just out with some friends. You alright?_

He put his phone away when they got up to the window. "I'll have a small cup of mint chocolate chip." 

"I'll have a cone with half vanilla and half chocolate ice cream."

He's never seen someone get and a half and half ice cream before, so he was surprised to see Clay request it. It reminded him of Dream who said that loved getting a half and half ice cream cone or milkshake. He said once that if his parents had vanilla and chocolate ice cream in the freezer that he'd make a bowl with both. He came to do it when he was younger because his mom's favorite ice cream is vanilla and his dad's is chocolate. Why not mix them?

"So what's your favorite color?" Clay asks before licking the top of his ice cream cone. The wind blows his hair in front of his eyes. 

"I don't have a favorite color. I'm colorblind." 

He did a double shake of the head. "Wait, what? You are colorblind? I had no clue," he nervously chuckles but something feels off as he looks to his left towards to beach waters. A silence settles for a brief moment before he looks back at George. His hand rests on the table and he looks like he wants to say something causing another crack in his mask. His eyes dilate but he looks away. He doesn't say anything. He just licks his ice cream and ruffles his hair. 

"Do you ever struggle with it?"

George analyzes the betrayal of his tone and his smile. _Do I ask if he is okay?_

"I'm not sure what you mean." _No. I can't._

The boy hesitates as the smile falters. "Do you hate being colorblind?"

He shakes his head, "No not really. Being colorblind is all I know. So I don't hate it but I don't really care for it if that makes sense."

Clay pauses. He takes his phone out and something catches eye that brings a smile to his face. "Yeah it makes complete sense."

George watches Clay's eyes move as he types a message to whomever he is talking to. He wonder if he was texting Sapnap. The two of them seem pretty close and that could be why he is happy. But does that mean he isn't happy right now? _Does he really want to hang out with me?_

_Why does this bother me as much as it does?_

His phone vibrates in his pocket but he chooses to ignore it. 

The two boys finish their ice cream and finally end up at the ferris wheel. They get in and take their seat next to each other. With their legs touching it sends a shiver up George's leg and spine. It's the closest he's been to Clay other than the time he threw his arm around him yesterday. He could smell the scent off his body mixing with the sea breeze. It radiates inside of George making him feel a way he probably shouldn't feel being so close to Clay.

Their cart rose slowly to the top as the conductor lets more people on. Clay in entranced by the sea in the distance. A vulnerable smile graces his face. 

"Do you ever wonder what's out there for you?" he asks softly.

"Fish," George replies plainly. Clay turns his head in disbelief and laughs out loud. 

"Shit, George." He shakes his head but in a positive way. His tone then fell, "Do you feel comfortable around us, now?"

"What do you mean?"

Clay shrugs as he flexes his hand. "You've been so timid in interactions, but today I've noticed a change. You laugh more sincerely, exposing what a great and infectious smile you have. You even joke around with everyone. Even that dry reply to me was unexpected. The George of yesterday wouldn't have replied like that. Hell I don't think the George of this afternoon would've."

_Am I floating in the air, right now? What is happening? Why is he saying these sweet words to me right now?_

"I guess you are right. That Sapnap is a bit difficult to understand though. I think he hates me."

Clay chuckles to the bemusement of George. "Oh lord, no. He just gives everyone a hard time." George let the answer hang in the air and didn't respond. The ride did its revolutions and as it did he noticed Clay seem upset again as he looked to his phone. George wanted to check his phone but was nervous if Clay would see his text messages with someone named Dream.

_That would be awkward._

Then the ride stops. 

The boys are at the top of the ride as the other ride-goers begin to chat a bit loudly. George looks down to see what is going on but Clay is still enamored with the sea. The full moon in the sky reflects off the Atlantic Ocean itself. A beautiful site that calms George as a commotion stirs below.

They sat up in the air with no way down for at least a half and an hour. There wasn't much conversing at first, instead focusing on the calm seas. Every once and a while George noticed Clay look down. He was rubbing the inside of his palm pretty harshly when he wasn't looking glum on his phone. 

"How long have you known them?" George said dimly having to clear his throat.

"I've gone to school with them for most of my life. Punz is the newer one. He was friends with Sapnap first and easily slid into the dynamic."

"That's cool. Do you guys live around here or is this just a summer thing?"

"We don't live here. We live in the Orlando area. We all come here during the summer the last few years. Sometime I come here for Christmas break too."

"You're lucky. You get to escape from your home town but still hang with your best friends. I would do anything to leave home and be with my best friend."

Clay hummed. "What's stopping you?"

He shrugged. "It's complicated."

The other boy tapped his thumb on the case of his phone and he looked despondently down below at the ride operator talking with a man in a neon vest. "I get it." He had to clear his throat before continuing. He looked uncertainly at George as he continued to fiddle with his phone. "Maybe one day you'll be able to uncomplicate it." He looked away setting an awkward atmosphere between them. 

The boy's demeanor was cold and wrought with sadness. The mask was nonexistent. When he looked back over at George he put on a new mask and moved the conversation.

"You know, I'm glad I've gotten to spend time with you." Surprised, George doesn't respond, but Clay picks up on that and helps him. "Why don't you give me your number so we can keep in touch?" 

George doesn't hesitate much until he sees that he had a message from Dream. 

_Dream: Yeah. I want to play Minecraft with you tonight. <3_

George is combatted with different emotions, but he doesn't have time to think about it so he doesn't respond to it and instead goes to his contact list and adds Clay to it. When they finish adding each other to the call the ride conductor comes on the speaker and tells everyone that the ride will be operational momentarily. By the time he is done the ride cranks up and begins to move. They let everyone out so that they can shut the ride down and work on it so it doesn't do that again. 

The two boys meet up with the other 3 outside the arcade and decide to call it a night. However they make the plan to go to the beach tomorrow together.

As George approaches his home with a silent Clay right beside him he replies to Dream.

_GeorgeNotFound: I'm home now so I'm down to play if you still are._

_GeorgeNotFound: <3_

After they say their goodbyes, Clay softly speaks up and stops George. "Text me whenever you want to play mini golf. Just us, not those ruffians."

George grins, "I'd like that, Clay." They share a nod letting George go into his home. He looks at his phone and a message from Dream appears instantly.

_Dream: Oh. I didn't know you were out._

_GeorgeNotFound: Uh yeah. The guy next door is pretty chill._

When he goes to the kitchen to pour himself a glass of apple juice he see someone walking down the path to the beach.

Clay. 

*Bzrt*

His phone buzzes on the granite counter.

_Dream: Give me 30 minutes._


	5. Fireworks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As George and his new friends enjoy the day that his July 4th, George is forced to deal with homophobia. Meanwhile, he struggles with the new dynamic that's begun to take hold between he and Dream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So right off the bat I want to say that I've retconned Dream being the pasty white boy from Florida that he has shown himself to be on tik tok and in the Mr. Beast Rewind lmao. He tans in this fanfiction. Next I want to say that I'm pretty hyped to have over 360 hits and 40+ kudos. I was expecting nothing. I'm almost done writing this fanfiction, but I'm not 100% sure how many chapters there will be. I would say somewhere around 15, give or take. Also, I realized that the formatting to my text changed when I uploaded the last chapter so I had to fix that. Kinda mad at myself because I put those italicized lines in there to give a glimpse into George's(and Clay's) mind.

It's a hot and humid July day. George is hanging at the beach with Clay and his friends. They've been hanging out a lot the last couple weeks as George has been welcomed into the group, even if it's temporary. 

He's enjoyed having the company, keeping his 3 months vacation from becoming stale. The idea of not doing much but going to the beach and playing Minecraft sounds boring now and that was all he planned on doing the whole time. Things between he and Dream have become slightly awkward. Dream seems more moody, but keeps making excuses not to talk about it. George can't figure out what is going on but he doesn't want to push Dream. He'll speak up when he's ready.

With that said it's been bothering George not going to sleep or waking up to messages from Dream. They used to happen every day but there have been days where he hasn't had a goodnight or good morning message. It hasn't impacted them from playing Minecraft, but Dream has admitted to not feeling up to working on plug-ins lately. 

Meanwhile, the friendship between he and Clay has been growing. They've stayed up late hours texting. Every time they talk George feels this fluttering warmth in his chest. At this point George'd be lying if he said he wasn't beginning to have full-fledged feelings for Clay. He couldn't help but look forward to the next text from Clay. 

Just like he did with Dream.

While at the beach George is putting on suntan lotion. Clay, noticing that George isn't putting any on his back, offers to do it for him. 

He freezes. He looks at his hands then at the bottle of lotion and then back at Clay. If he sits there any longer in silence it will make the situation weird. He doesn't want it to get weird so he says, "Sure."

The cold lotion smacks his spine and causes him to lightly jump. Clay places his warm hand on his shoulder inadvertently settling George down. But that and the act of rubbing the lotion into the back of George causes him to think other thoughts. He could get used to Clay's delicate touch. 

_No. I can't think like this._

He proceeds to think like that as Clay's hands glide their way to his lower back.

"There. All done. I could actually use some on my back. It's been a good hour." George quietly panics.

_Oh fuck._

"Clay that's my job!" Sapnap jokingly says. 

"You wish, Sapnap!"

"That's not all I wish for." 

"Oh god," Punz mutters under his breath as he gets up to go down to the water. 

Bad, laying down on his stomach reading a book, says "Language, you muffinhead."

George facing Clay's back takes note of his muscles and lightly tanned skin. The tops of his shoulders are showing signs of peeling due to a previous sun burn that has since healed. He squeezes a small amount of lotion on the tips of his fingers.

_This is fine. It's completely normal. Nothing about this is weird or exciting. Don't get excited. Don't fuck this up, you idiot._

He can feel his back muscles as he traverses his warm skin. It doesn't even phase Clay. He's talking to Bad about food and completely ignoring George who is unsure if he's visibly flustered. 

"Make sure you rub in the lotion."

"Oh don't worry, I'm a pro at that." The words flow out like it was normal. He didn't think, or second guess what he heard, he just spoke. Like a reflex.

_Excuse me!_

"What!?" Clay exclaims as he wheezes.

_I don't know!_

"Language," a giggling Bad adds. 

And then the conversation just moves on. Clay turns his head and asks if George wants to get a hotdog with him. 

_No!_

"Sure," he answers with a smile.

"That took me by surprise," Clay says as the approach the vendor. He's laughing light-heartedly convincing George that he didn't pass a line. "Starting to think we're a bad influence on you." He references how he, Punz and Sapnap constantly say mischievous things to each other as a joke.

George doesn't mention how that is how he normally talks to Dream. "Maybe," he says with a smirk. 

On the way back from the vendor George accidentally bumps into a guy on the stairs. There were a lot of people walking up and down them and he notice a nail was coming up out of the board so he stepped to the side causing him to get in someone's way. 

"Watch it faggot," he hears come from the guy in the Yankee hat. He was tall and slender, similar build to Clay. Next to him was a smaller but beefier guy who looks like he wanted to fight the world.

"What?" he says instinctively.

"I said watch it, faggot." He purposely annunciates the syllables to make sure George hears it.

Clay grabs George's arm, just above his wrist. "C'mon. Let's go."

"Yes, go with your boyfriend."

The grip on his arm tightens with a slight tug. Clay gives him a stern look and tugs him again to diffuse the situation. George was used to people making fun of him. From middle school to high school he's been bullied for how he acts, particularly his laugh. He's never been called a homophobic slur to his face like that. It enraged and worried him. _Could they tell? Does that mean Clay could tell?_

The shorter man snickered and tightened his fist waiting for George or Clay to give him a reason to attack.

But they don't. 

George lets Clay pull him down the stairs.

"Ignore those idiots. They are a waste of time." He gives him a reassuring smile.

The moment lingers in his mind for a little while. He doesn't go to play in the water after eating with Clay. Does he have to tell Clay about his sexuality? Should he? The feeling he had before he told Dream is similar to the one he has now. It sucks and clouds the mind of every normal thought. It makes one think in ways they would normally not. 

_Panic and anxiety are enemies of the heart and mind_ , he says to himself remembering what Dream said to him after one of his anxiety attacks.

___

_GeorgeNotFound: Are you going to be busy tonight?_

George rereads a few of the texts as he waits for Dream to respond. He feels empty seeing how Dream is off in the texts. Maybe he should ask what is going? He's never really had to do that; Dream opens up without hesitation.

_Dream: Yeah and I'm not sure I'm going to play Minecraft tonight._

_GeorgeNotFound: Oh. :/_

The text bubble appears and disappears. George sits there staring at his phone, not blinking, and waits for a response. His heart hurting, feeling the pang of loss.

_Dream: We haven't texted late into the night recently._

_Dream: I'd like to do that tonight._

George felt pressure build behind his eyes.

_GeorgeNotFound: I would like that to. <3_

_Dream: :')_

___

Later that night he gets a phone call from Clay. In the background he can hear a lot of chatter and music playing. The music is similar to the music he's been trying to tune out for the past hour.

"Are you coming outside tonight?"

"I wasn't planning on it, why?"

He can hear Sapnap and Punz arguing about what the best condiment on a hot dog is. Sapnap insists on mustard but Punz thinks Ketchup is better. It was actually nice to hear their voices after the dreadful feeling after the conversation with Dream. 

"Dude, we're partying. It's July 4th." They both paused and Clay guffawed. "Shit. I totally forgot that you were British. Today's a holiday and we celebrate with meat, alcohol, fireworks. The last bit is my favorite."

"I'm pretty tired, I don't know." He lied. He didn't want to go out and potentially miss Dream if he suddenly wanted to play Minecraft. 

Clay jokingly whimpered. "Pwease?" 

"Oh my god, Clay." George musters short bursts of laughter. 

"I was hoping you'd come and have fun. I can only handle Sapnap and Punz for so long."

They both chuckled. "What about Bad?"

After a few seconds of silence they both laugh loudly at the same time. "I love Bad, but he's chaotic in his own way."

"Oh am I not chaotic?" George teases.

"Not as much," Clay responds.

George scoffs. He gets up from his bed and slips on his shoes, "Clearly you don't know me. I'll be right over."

"Yes!" Clay exclaims. 

The aroma of different kinds of meat; chicken, steak, and spare ribs smack his nose and make him instantly hungry even though he just ate 2 hours ago. There are a bunch of people outside of the beach homes with tents set up. It's like a block party. People are talking and laughing, music is blasting through the street, kids are running around, people are even playing basketball down the block. The street has transformed dramatically since he was outside earlier. 

He finds the boy he came out here for. Clay looked up from his phone, smiled and waved. His heart sent a flutter as the boy walked towards him. 

"You really didn't have to come out if you didn't want to."

_But I did._

"You convinced me. And now I'm hungry."

They laugh. 

Before they go to join the party Clay decides to take the time where the two are alone to bring up the incident from earlier.

"Um I wanted to ask you earlier but I didn't know how to, but-" his voice staggered as he played with his hair. "About this afternoon with those jerks. I'm sorry you had to deal with them."

George was surprised by this and could see how nervous the other boy was, like he was walking on a tightrope. "Oh, it's okay. I'm just glad that you were there."

Clay dimly smiled, "I just want you to know if you were gay, it wouldn't change a thing between us. I already have a gay best friend anyways."

George's heart beat a bit faster causing the blood to rush to his nose. He could feel the flush settle in and let out a nervous chuckle. _It was obvious then._ " I see." He didn't confirm nor deny but they shared an understanding glance. 

With this newfound comprehension George felt like he had to apologize, "I'm sorry you got bundled up with me." 

The other boy snickered, "You mean when he said I was your boyfriend?" George nods. "That's not an insult, George. In fact, if I were gay I'd consider myself lucky to call you my boyfriend." The words just flowed out of his mouth as a matter of fact, but he didn't regret it. George didn't know what to say or do with that but feet happy. His concerns from earlier seem overdone and pointless.

After George thanked him for the kind words, Clay brings him to where the food is and told him to have at it. George's mom is sipping a glass of wine as she sits at a table with other parents including Clay's mom. On the table in front of him is an abundance of food. As he stares at the table of food he wonders just how much he can eat. 

"Is this really what you do on this day?" George asks.

Clay chuckles, "Yeah, pretty much. It's a big BBQ day and it usually ends in fireworks. They hold a great display here. You'll actually get to see fireworks up and down the entire length of the beach."

George thought that was so cool. He's seen fireworks but he's never been interested in seeing them up close. Before that though it was time to eat and drink a liquor laden drink that Clay had served him. The boys aren't allowed to drink but Sapnap had a hidden collection that they were drinking out of. It wasn't the first time he had a drink, but it's not like he drank frequently. The most he drank was at his 18th birthday with his friends and even then he was the most sober one of all.

The night descended slightly into chaos as Sapnap kept feeding everyone alcohol. To George it felt like Sapnap was targeting him, but he kept drinking. It wasn't even 10PM and he was already sloshed. 

"My mom is going to kill me," he says giddily to Clay who doesn't seem as affected by the alcohol. 

And right on cue George's mom looks over and sees Clay helping George up to his feet. Clay catches her from getting concerned by giving her a thumb's up and flashing his smile. She rolls her eyes and wants to get up but Clay's mother butts in, placing a hand on her shoulder and says something. Clay can't hear what she is saying but it seems to keep George's mom from getting up an excoriating her son. 

They walk into the drunk boy's home where Clay helps George to a seat in the kitchen. He goes into the fridge and grabs the pitcher of filtered water. He pours it into a cup and places it in front of his friend and tells him to drink. 

"I want apple juice," the boy says with a smile. Clay smiles and goes back to the fridge and grabs the bottle of apple juice. "You can have some too," George says softly. The dirty blonde-haired boy stills himself. He replays the words and focuses in on the tone which brightens his sullen mood. His hand falls to his pocket where he feels his phone. He wants to pull it out but the thought attempts to ruin the good mood he is now in. 

"So how drunk are you really?"

George is still giddy. "Very, but I can see straight."

"Oh yeah? What do you see in front of you?"

Smiling George pauses. Even in his drunken state he has a multitude of different answers lined up. He's cognizant of the fact that he wants to be honest, but he doesn't want to regret it. "Do you want me to be honest?" he asks.

"Always," Clay says grinning unaware of the toll the other boy's words will have on him the moment they are uttered.

"I see a caring friend who makes those around him lucky."

The mood waved unbalanced. George's words rippled the air like a shockwave. He was as sincere and honest as he has ever been. For Clay it was one of the nicest things anyone has said to him, but also extremely unexpected considering the previous tone between them. He's had heart to heart conversations before with his friends where similar things were said, but nothing so out of the blue and not from someone who he's recently met. That meant something, or at least he thought so. 

His thoughts flickered on and off between George and his internet best friend. He could recognize how similar they were in how openly kind they were. He wondered how lucky he could be to attract such people in his life.

"I don't think it is me, George," he responds trying to compose his emotions. "It's my friends who make me lucky. I don't know where I would be without them." He looks at George's hazel eyes and arched brows. It wasn't the first time he's noticed his features but he's refused to focus too much. _It wouldn't be fair._

"To be honest I may consider you a part of that conversation. I've only known you for a month and you've been really fun to hang with. I feel like I've known you for years."

As weird as it was to say George agreed. 

Clay put down his cup and approached George and hugged him. He felt like he was going to cry, like this dam that had been building the last couple days was going to break. He didn't care about crying in this other boy's arm. He trusted George. He trusted the warm and tight arms wrapped around him. 

*Boom*

It startled them abruptly ending their moment.

"Fireworks. Right, it's that time," Clay remembers rubbing his left eye. The two boys reset themselves. "You wanna go look?" he asks as successive explosions shake the house.

Grinning, George nods his head.

___

After the firework show ends they all say goodnight to one another. However, there's a moment when Sapnap realizes Clay isn't going back to his home. Clay tells him he just wants to hang out and enjoy the calm seas.

George looks on knowing that Clay has stayed outside several nights before. There have been nights where he is going to bathroom for the final time before going to sleep and sees Clay sitting on the lifeguard chair. He's always wondered why he was there, even when they are texting each other. There was never any sign of something being wrong, in the texts or even the voice calls themselves, but he knew better. He knew his new friend was going through something but wasn't ready to talk about.

Of course, George understood that because that's how it is with Dream. No to mention George was dealing with his own issues and questions about his friendship with Dream. He has two friends going through something while he fights with his own feelings and inner demons. What can he really do? He'd just make matters worse, he thinks. 

"Is everything okay?" Sapnap is clearly concerned. Clay has spoken numerous times about how close he and Sapnap are but this is the first time he's seen the other boy demonstrate that. 

"Yes," Clay says with a smile after looking at his phone.

_There's that mask again._

The two friends share glances at each other as if they are still communicating. Punz looks at George and both boys feel like they are in the similar boat. They understand what is happening but don't want to interrupt because it isn't there place. 

"Okay man." Sapnap looks at Punz and says, "Let's go." 

They help up Bad who had fallen asleep drunk on a lounge chair and walked away while Clay walked towards the beach. Still standing in the middle of the sidewalk George notices Sapnap look backwards at Clay who did not look back. 

When George got back into his home he looked at his phone and was mortified to see he had missed text from Dream.

 **7:31 PM** _Dream: I hope your new friend is giving you the true 4th of July experience_

That's it. 

George instantly felt bad for missing another text from Dream. He felt like he kept doing that. With that said he didn't want to stress about it.

_GeorgeNotFound: He did. I had a great night. :)_

_Dream: I'm glad to hear it._

He looked out the window and saw that Clay was sitting atop the lifeguard chair once again. He wondered what he was thinking.

_GeorgeNotFound: I think you'd like him. He's really chill._

_Dream: Do you like him?_

The question startled George, but he assumed that his best friend was capable of reading him.

_GeorgeNotFound: Yes. I've been trying to fight it but I think I have feelings for him._

_Dream: I'm happy for you._

_Dream: You deserve to be happy._

_GeorgeNotFound: Are you okay?_

There was no answer for several minutes, but he knew Dream had read the message. He was still online.

_Dream: Yeah :)_

George looked up and then out to the sea. His attention was eclipsed when he saw Clay's hand go up to his face several times. It was like he was rubbing his eyes.


	6. Minecraft

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> George is stressed out about his friendship with Dream so they decided to have a day of playing Minecraft. But while they are having fun George gets a little insight into the mind of Dream and the current state of their friendship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A smaller chapter than previous ones but I wanted to do some small character building. Hope you guys enjoy.
> 
> Slight TW for this chapter(I will indicate where) due to some of the darker tone. It's a small section of George being deep and the words I used could trigger those with depression or similar mental health issues. 
> 
> As per usual if the CC's want this taken down I will take it down.

As the summer has gone on George has felt his grip on his friendship with Dream slip away. He feels like he's been neglecting Dream by hanging out with Clay and his friends so often. Every time he hangs out with them he finds out he missed a text from Dream. There have been times when Dream asked about playing Minecraft but he never saw the text. By the time he would see the text Dream either lost the desire to play or found something else to do.

Hell he feels like he's been texting Clay more than Dream now. 

So he needed to do something to fix that. A day with Dream.

_GeorgeNotFound: Hey Dreeeaammm!_

_Dream: Yes, George?_

_GeorgeNotFound: Do you want to play Minecraft today? Like all day?_

_Dream: Really?_

_GeorgeNotFound: Yeah. I miss you. <3_

It took a couple minutes for Dream to respond back leaving George with mixed emotions. There is such a pit in his stomach that every passing second feels like an eternity. He just wants things to go back to normal with his best friend. He even forces a smile to force his brain not to go to those dark and pessimistic places.

_Dream: I miss you too. I don't think you know how much._

_Dream: I'll be on in 10 minutes. <3_

The two of them jump on their server that they made together and start planning out their next big project. They want to build an aquarium like structure, which they figure will take the whole day if not longer to build. Neither of them are really good at building so they usually go on reddit and look for some inspiration. Both of their homes are based on designs they have seen online. 

George was endeared following Dream's green character model as they jumped and ran around the map looking for resources. Sometimes as they are running Dream would stop and punch George. There was one point when they were going to jump over a ravine. After Dream jumped off George followed, but Dream decided to punch him in mid-air causing him to miss the block and descend into the pit killing him.

In the game chat George types, "DREEEAAAAAAAAMMMMMM!!!!!!"

With inspiration from reddit they began building their aquarium. During the building, Dream needed glowstone but he doesn't have any on him so he asks George to go get some from his house. When George arrives inside of Dream's home he realizes that he has done some redecorating since the last time he had been in there so he goes on a tour while he's there. That's when he comes across a button and a sign that says, "For George." He questions whether he should push the button or not. It seems that Dream is preparing a surprise for him.

But he wants to see it. Should be harmless, he thinks.

He presses the button and the floor opens up below. He takes a small dive into a tile of water which is in the middle of a giant room. It's not done but there had been significant work done. He can see blocks placed all over the displaying Dream's struggle with design rather than recreating something from reddit. 

_It's authentic?_

Up against one of the walls is a chest which holds a book. Around the book are emerald blocks which signify a sense of importance. George decides he wants to read the book, which is titled "Love."

He turns the first page and reads.

"Hey George. I've built this room out for you because you are my best friend and you deserve it. But, I'd be lying if that was the only reason."

George hovers over the arrow to go to the next page when he gets an in-game message.

_Dream: Did you find it?"_

_GeorgeNotFound: Not yet._

_Dream: Okay. Hurry up :P_

He clicks to the next page. 

"This summer has been weird for me. I don't think I've done a good job at being your friend. I feel like crap half the time we talk because I feel inadequate."

George gets worried. He can see that there are a few more pages, but the guilt for reading the first two is eating away at him. The fact that Dream has been working on this over the summer means that this book may be the answer to why Dream is so off. But why is being negative about himself? George hovers again over the arrow to go to the next page, his brain constantly battling itself. 

_No. I can't. This wouldn't be right to Dream. He's doing this for a reason and I can't be selfish._

But it's a struggle. He wants so desperately to know what is bothering Dream so that he can help. The book on his screen just yells at him. This is like some cliché moment in a stupid movie where the friend does something thinking it is the right thing, but it's just selfish and ends up hurting the other person and makes everything worse.

"I feel inadequate," he reads again. 

He backs out of the book and places it back the chest. He looks around and sees that there is a room on the far side. Before he could get over there he gets another message from Dream in the chat asking where he is. He tells him he is coming but got distracted with a couple enderman. He lied saying he wanted enderpearls. 

He arrives back to the aquarium and tosses Dream the items he needed. Dream walks up to him and hits him twice with his fist. In the game chat he tells George that that was for taking so long. They spend the entire afternoon and early evening working on the Aquarium when Dream says that his food was delivered so he's going to take a break

George totally forgot that he could just get food delivered to his home. His mom didn't cook because she was at the BBQ with a bunch of the parents. He almost hoped Clay would text to him to go get food but the time he normally does that had past. 

As both of their characters stood on top of the aquarium George realizes that his hand is on his phone. It's like he's instinctively waiting for Clay to text him. There weren't many times throughout the day where he was thinking about Clay, but now he realizes how strange it was that Clay hadn't spoken to him all day. No text to hang out at the beach, and nothing about going to get food. 

So he texts him.

_George: Hey Clay. How was your day?_

_Clay responded instantly._

_Clay: It was good, hbu?_

_George: Good. I needed a day to just stay inside._

_Clay: I hear you. Sometimes you mentally to just need to be away from people._

_George: YESSSS! Exactly :)_

_Clay: I feel you. I need those days sometimes too._

George catches himself smiling a bit too widely. He enjoys talking to Clay, not as much as talking to Dream but it's up there. There was something different though. He can see Clay's face. He can see his eyes, his dimples, and his smile. 

_God his smile._

Sometimes when they talk George catches himself staring at his eyes. It's not the only thing he stares at. When they are at the beach he has to watch his eyes from checking out Clay's abs. He's never felt this way about a guy.

Except for Dream, but it's different. Dream is always there for him in ways none of his friends ever are. He literally drops what he is doing to talk with him. It's an emotional connection. It resides so much deeper where things with Clay are more shallow. There was a time 2 years ago when George's parents were fighting and on the verge of divorce. He could feel his life falling apart minute by minute. Dream had been coding for several hours and was really struggling when he received a text from George. **[TW]**

_GeorgeNotFound: My parents are fighting._

_Dream: Are you okay?_

_GeorgeNotFound: No. I'm tired, Dream. I'm tired of all of it._

_Dream: Georgie, I'm sorry. Do you want to get on our server?_

_GeorgeNotFound: No. You're coding anyways._

_Dream: I'm taking a break. I can't code when my best friend needs me._

George smiles causing a diversion in his tears. He's become so used to the salty taste that has dripped in between his lips. 

_GeorgeNotFound: I want to leave, Dream. I just want to leave and never come back. They are always fighting and I don't know what to do anymore._

He had gotten used to his parents fighting over the years. He used to get in the middle and try to diffuse tensions, but now it just makes him feel lifeless. The constant yelling and slamming of doors only for them to start yelling again. 

_Dream: Do you want to voice chat?_

George wasn't sure if he was reading that right or if his glassy eyes. He wanted to say yes.

Dream invited him to a voice call. 

He was serious. George couldn't believe it. His finger traced around the accept button but he was scared. 

_GeorgeNotFound: Dream..._

_Dream: George, it's fine. I wish I was there with you._

He couldn't possibly do this to him. He can't let his problems make Dream do something he's been uncomfortable doing all this me. 

*presses decline*

_GeorgeNotFound: It's okay Dream. I know you are anxious about voice chatting. You have no clue how much your offer means to me._

_Dream: I didn't know what else to do. If I had to, like absolute had to, I'll voice chat with you. And I felt like I HAD to._

_GeorgeNotFound: <3_

_Dream: <3_

_Dream: You aren't alone George. Maybe them getting a divorce would be better for you. No more yelling and fighting. No more fear of what you perceive to be the worst case. The divorce will be in the past and all 3 of you will be happier. I know I will be. I hate reading your texts when this happens. I feel so helpless, but I'll always be here._

They texted for hours. Dream was the only person he could talk to for so long without wanting to get out of it. And now maybe Clay, but he's never really had a long 1 on 1 conversation with him.

He stared at his computer monitor and watched Dream's green character standing around. To think the person who controls that character is his best friend. The only face he can associate to his best friend is the face on a Minecraft skin. But maybe he doesn't need to put a real face to it. Maybe it's better that way. 

The two spent the entire night finishing up the aquarium and filling it in with every single sea creature they could find. The toughest one they had to deal with was the dolphin. The dolphin kept giving them dolphin's grace which made it hard to slowly bring it into the gap they created for it. When they finally got it into the gap the dolphin went back into the ocean. They spent nearly 30 minutes going back and forth with the dolphin until they devised a plan to close up the hole as fast as they could. When George got the dolphin in the chamber it belongs, Dream closed up the hole. They were both exasperated by how long they took to get the dolphin. But they weren't done. The dolphin somehow got out. It squeezed itself out of a 1x1.

_GeorgeNotFound: DREAM! YOU HAD ONE JOB!_

"Dream left the game" pops up in the game chat as George sees his character disappear.

George receives a text from Dream. 

_Dream: Tomorrow, I'm killing all of the dolphins on the server._

_GeorgeNotFound: LMAO_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading guys. I wrote another fanfic called The Shadows of History. It is inspired by the Dream SMP so it's more dramatic. I may or may not be doing a slow burn Dream/George romance during the drama.


	7. Weakness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clay asks George to keep him company while his sister essentially forces him to do artistic stuff. As George attempts his first ever sand art creation, the walls he and Clay have built around their individual selves start to show some cracks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a tough chapter to write lol. I will not lie. This was supposed to go up two days ago, and then I rewrote the whole thing. I hope you guys and gals will like it. Again thanks for the nice words, the kudos and the hits.
> 
> If any of the CCs want this fic removed I will remove it without hesitation.

After spending much of the previous day and night with his best friend on Minecraft, George feels better about his relationship with Dream. Before he felt like he was abandoning Dream for Clay but to be able to jump into their server and have fun with him led him to believe it was just his mind being pessimistic and against him. 

He woke up sometime after 1 PM to his mother giving him a look of disappointment. 

"Your friend Clay came around asking for you a little while ago."

George could barely muster a reaction. "Oh. What for?"

"He didn't say. He wasn't with the other boys."

George figured he was just at the beach so he'll go down there after he eats. As he was eating his mom began to pester him about his gaming habits. She's never been a fan of how much he spends playing games and coding. She sees it as a waste of time and would rather him hangout with friends. The entrance of Clay into his life and the limited time he has with him has pressed George's mom to start this argument again. 

She says that playing games for so long is unhealthy and the lack of being social is also bad. It's one of those arguments young people hear all the time from parents and educators. The argument that texting and playing games over the internet doesn't teach people the right social skills they need in the real world. George knows it's a nonsense argument because if he was completely inept he wouldn't be able to have made the friends he has over the summer. Would someone like Clay really befriend him if he was socially inept? Sure he is socially awkward and shy, but he's able to hold a conversation. He's able to talk 1 on 1 with Clay or Punz. 

This doesn't even include his friends back in the UK.

Also, people need to know how to use the internet in the real world. The ineptitude of older people with the internet, such as adding a simple wifi password to a piece of technology, doesn't seem to be a concern to them. It's just typical generational nonsense. 

"Mum, I'm not arguing about this anymore. What I do is what I want to do as a career."

"How is playing a video game a career?

George yawns. "People literally make careers out of wearing makeup. Anything can be a career. Not understanding how it's a career is not the same as it factually not being one." 

His mom shook his head in disagreement but didn't muster a direct response. "If you say so, George. I'm just looking out for you."

It was always her go to line whenever they argued or when she questioned his life. "I know, but maybe think I'm looking out for myself too for once." His tone came out more standoffish than he had planned. Blame the exhaustion, which ironically is caused by playing a video game until 4 in the morning. 

After eating his food he heads outside in just his bathing suit. He assumes that Clay and them are down by the beach but as he walks down wooden path he notices that neither of the boys are in the area they typically are. He rubs behind his ear in confusion but then looks back and sees Clay on the other side of a window in his beach house. George laughs to himself and approaches the window and knocks. It startles Clay who chuckles when he sees the other boy there. 

Clay, wearing a lime green casual button down and gray Chino shorts, greets him. "Going to the beach by yourself?"

George, crossing his arms, was slightly embarrassed. "Well, my mom said you were asking for me and I just assumed you were down at the beach."

The other boy chuckled as the sea breeze messed with his hair. "You know what they say about assuming, right? When you assume you make an ass out of you and me."

George just stared at the boy who was cracking up at himself. He lightly shook his head, fighting a smile, and walked away when he heard the other boy call out for him. Clay had hopped out of his window. 

"That was shit, Clay."

Clay smiled brightly, "Then why were you smiling?" 

"Shut up. Anyways what did you want then?"

Clay's face slightly dropped but recovered. "Um, well my sister has this tradition where she likes to paint seashells and do sand art. I was wondering if you would like to join us." His eyes failed to meet George's as if he was avoiding them. 

"Um are the others going to be there?"

He shook his head. "Punz and Sapnap are going go-karting. They couldn't be bothered to do this and Bad had to go home for a few days. To be honest I didn't ask Sapnap and Punz because I know they would say no."

George smiled, "So you wanted to ask me?" He was teasing him.

Clay rolled his eyes. "I hate you."

George shook his head, "Oh who's the one smiling now?" he teases as he watches Clay cover the smirk on his mouth. "If you hate me why ask me to hang out with you, hmm?" He gets closer to Clay. He watches his face contort itself. 

The other boy looks away and then back at him, the smile disappearing. He seems nervous. "Because I figure you'd be the only one who'd actually say yes." His tone was soft but it crudely ripped through George like a riptide. He tried to fight the soft and endearing aura that has enveloped them. 

"Are you calling me a loser? Huh?" he asks as he playfully punches the other guy's shoulder. 

Clay shook his head. "No. But if you were I would love to be a loser with you today."

The words played with George's mind. He kept trying to fend them off but Clay just kept delivering soft-spoken words. Why was Clay being so nice, almost like he's searching for something? George realized it may not be wise to fool around anymore as he gazed upon the lost eyes of the boy in front of him. 

"I think that'd make us winners, no?" 

"Yes." For a few moments the two of them looked at each other. Clay looked down and then took a step back and cleared his throat. "You should probably change."

George looks down and cocks his head, "What? Do you have a problem with how I look? Am I not beautiful enough for you, Clay? Why can't you accept me for how I look?!"

Clay stifled a chuckle. "Oh I mean if you came looking like that, no shirt whatsoever, I don't think I'd have a problem. I may get distracted from painting though."

George bit his lower lip. "You always distract me," he said softly but humorously. 

"WHAT?!" Clay yells in between bouts of laughter. "What is wrong with you?" He kept laughing to the point where he sounded like a tea kettle.

George laughs so to convince the other boy that he was continuing the joke even though there was an ounce of truth in his words. He thought about responding with "You, baby" but he decided against it. If this were Dream he would've. But he isn't at that stage of flirtatiousness with Clay.

_Yet._

When George gets back to his room to change he peaks at his phone and see that he has a recent text from Dream. 

_Dream: I didn't say this last night, but I really loved just being on our server together yesterday. I've missed you a lot._

_Dream: Sorry if that's weird._

It wasn't like Dream to feel weird for showing affection or appreciation. But he was happy that Dream enjoyed the day as he did. 

_GeorgeNotFound: It's not weird. I've missed you too._

_GeorgeNotFound: Let's get that dolphin later ;)_

Dream quickly responds.

_Dream: Let's blow it up instead :P_

_GeorgeNotFound: You are too much._

_Dream: You have no idea ;)_

George couldn't help but laugh to himself. They shared a couple more texts before George went back outside. Clay had been where he left him, up against his white painted corral fence looking down at his phone. It was a weird transition going from talking to Dream to now hanging out with Clay. It is weirder because he's never mentioned Dream to him or to anyone and sometimes it feels like he's keep this deep dark secret as if he was ashamed of it. What would happen if he spoke about him? What would happen if he told someone about Dream? 

Honestly they'd probably just think he's weird, George thinks to himself. But maybe that's the fear talking and not really accurate. Just like coming out for him was. The fear of not being accepted was high but in reality the chances of that actually happening, with Dream and his mom, was severely low. 

The mind just can't see through the fog of fear. 

Clay brought him to a picnic table by the beach where his family was seated. There were a few containers with different colored sand along with a small bin of shells. In front of Clay's sister were several sets of paint and paintbrushes. She seemed happy to have another person paint shells with. Their parents didn't really really take part in the art but instead did other things. Their mom was working on a Sudoku puzzle while the dad was preparing food to be grilled. 

Clay's sister asked George if he had ever done sand art. After he said no she decided to teach him how to do so and gave him some tips on how to make it "pretty." She went through some of the ways that he could layer the sand. She advises him not to do equal layers because it is "tacky." 

At first when he was funneling the sand through he thought he was messing it up when the sand was piling up on one side of the bottle but barely on the other. That's when he got the idea to just do the opposite with the next layer so that they have a yin-yang look to them. He continued to do that with the other layers of sand until he messed up. Clay's sister saw that he messed up and handed him a paintbrush.

"You can adjust the level of the layer. Although I think you poured too much red sand. Is red your favorite color?" 

George shrugged. "I didn't know that was red. I'm colorblind," he says nervously chuckling. 

She turned to Clay, "Isn't your best friend colorblind?"

Clay nodded. "Yeah."

"I didn't know Sapnap was colorblind," George says as he brushes the sand. 

The sister laughs, "Sapnap isn't his best friend. Some other guy he talks to on the internet is."

Clay admonishes his sister, but then moves the conversation along. "He also has trouble with the color red. I think it's called protan colorblindness"

It kind of made George feel better about having a best friend on the internet since Clay also does. 

When George was done with adding layers of sand he seemed happy with the design he had created. It wasn't perfect but it was the first time he had ever done sand art. 

"I can tell you are colorblind," Clay's sister jokes. 

George looks down at his bottle confused, so she explains how the colors he used didn't mesh well in some areas. She wasn't being mean, just messing with him. Clay intervened, "Well I think it looks nice."

"That's because you have the artistic design of a blind person."

George couldn't fight a burst of laughter causing Clay to lightly jab his elbow into the ribs of George. "I defended you," he gasps dramatically. "Traitor!"

His sister chides him, "Not his fault you're a simp."

"WHAT?!" The familiar bellowing of the word harmonizes inside George's ears. He grins as he sees Clay struggle to fight back a smile. Clay's face begins to turn a shade of red, similar to how a setting sun sets the horizon on fire.

He could feel his own face begin to warm up. Something inside of him has flared at the thought of Clay simping for him. It was almost a joke.

"George?" Clay snaps his fingers in front of George's eyes. 

_Shit. I was staring at him._

"Oh, um." _Think, idiot._ "I was just checking if you were actually blind, my bad, simp."

Clay's jaw dropped and he just shook his head. George began to feel nauseous, but was glad that everyone was laughing and having a good time. Clay couldn't hold his disappointed act for long. 

Hanging out with Clay was unlike hanging out with any of his friends back home. There's this warmth about the other boy that makes him feel like he can just be himself. But it is when he looks at Clay, does a different set of feelings set in. One that he knows he can't address, and it wrecks him.

_His eyes make me vulnerable._

_His smile makes me fold._


	8. Rejection and Hope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> George and his friends go to Orlando. In the midst of enjoying theme parks he is faced with the one thing he's wanted to do all summer; meeting Dream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a slightly long and strange chapter. I battled with numerous ways to write it and ultimately I'm not sure if this was the right way to go about it. Somewhere in the middle of the chapter the POV flips. I didn't feel like separating POVs by chapter because of what the next chapter is going to be. It would just throw off the themes I'm toying with, so I hope you all understand. 
> 
> As usual if the CCs want this taken down I will remove it.

With a little less than a month left in his vacation George begins to grow antsy about meeting Dream. He hasn't mentioned meeting up with him since the day he found out about the trip, but it hasn't meant that his urge has drifted away. It's just grown. Today and tomorrow would be the days to meet up. 

That's because he is going to Orlando with Clay, his friends and their respective families. On top of that he knows that Dream will also be in Orlando for the next couple days as his family is taking a break from their beach house, which he admits is a weird coincidence. All he has to do is ask the question. The worst that could happen is he says no.

_Right?_

George knows better. He knows if Dream says no it would just hurt him. It would probably hurt their friendship permanently. How it would suck to come so close and your best friend doesn't even want to see you?

 _No. I can't think like this now._

Sitting behind him is Clay who decided to ride with George and his mom to Universal and Islands of Adventure even though he could've went with his family. George was somewhat surprised that Clay wanted to ride with him, especially when he could've went with his other friends. Clay caught his gander and lightly smiled. 

"You gonna take me to the Harry Potter world?" He had a weird fuzzy feeling in his stomach asking the question and leering at the other boy's soft lips.

"Of course." His smile made George feel weak. 

When they arrived to the dual parks, George immediately felt overwhelmed. There were so many people, items, and sounds. He could hear guests screaming on rides, the screeching of the brakes on the roller coaster nearby, and the cries of toddlers in strollers. It was like being in London at rush hour but worse. It actually reminded him of the craze that is Times Square when he went many years ago. Clay seized George's arm and gave him a tug with a reassuring smile. They followed the other boys through the park. 

The sights and sounds did not get better. Above was a green roller coaster where he could hear the jubilant screams from the riders. To his left he can hear the sounds of arcade machines. On top of that the smell of food, fried food at that, dominates his nostrils. Clay and he have an understanding look, the taller boy placing his hand on his stomach. He yells out to the other boys and says they should get lunch. Sapnap was quick to turn around and say, "You don't have to tell me twice!" 

After eating a sizeable lunch they begin to make their way through a couple of the interactive attractions. George can't really tell if he is enjoying the attractions or if he's just still overwhelmed but he knows he isn't having a bad time. 

When they approach the big green rollercoaster, otherwise known as the Incredible Hulk Coaster, Clay decides to duck out. Apparently he doesn't like to go on rollercoasters so he decides to sit it out. 

"You know you are safe on the ride, right?" George asks.

"Yeah, I just don't like heights."

Sapnap laughs. "He doesn't even like The Mummy ride in the other park. You can barely see anything so it's not just heights."

"Sapnap!" Clay barks as the other boy lies.

"He's a pussy," Punz remarks.

"Language," Bad quickly retorts. 

Punz, wearing a smirk on his face, gets up to Bad's face and says, "Pussy. Cock. Dick. Intercourse."

"Ay ay! Language, sir!" Bad yells as he backs up. 

A few eyes stare at them. George realizes he doesn't care that people are staring at them because of their shenanigans. Normally he'd feel anxious being down the vision of strangers. But he doesn't and wonders if this is how they always feel. 

After riding the rollercoaster a couple times, going through the lines thanks to the express passes, they head deeper into the park. This is when the oppressive sun begins to make an impact on them. Even though there are a lot of trees in the area it does very little to assuage from the heat. Unlike most of the other attractions everything in this part of the park is outside, and the humidity has begun to spike indicating a potential thunderstorm. 

The heat began to become unbearable for some in the crew as they began to approach the Harry Potter section the park. Because Sapnap, Punz and Bad weren't interesting in that part of the park they decided they were going to go to the water park nearby, Volcano Bay. George was slightly disappointed and begun to feel tense. He wanted to go to the Harry Potter attractions and already got excited. Was he going to go by himself? Was Clay going to come with him rather than go with his other friends?

The look on Clay's face as he wiped the sweat from his brow was pretty clear where he stood. But then something tilted as he looked carefully at George. 

"I'm going to go with him, if that's okay with you guys. He's never been here and it wouldn't be right to send him in there by himself."

George knew Punz and Bad wouldn't care, but he was worried about Sapnap who almost seems territorial at times with Clay. Or maybe he just doesn't like George, but he couldn't tell anymore.

Sapnap looked at them for a few moments. "Okay, no problem. We'll meet over at the arcade at 8?"

Clay nods and the group splits. The two young guys cross a bridge and it's almost as if a new sensation of sounds and smells come out of nowhere. George immediately recognizes Ollivanders and is enticed by the idea of getting his own wand, he even says so to Clay who doesn't say anything. Instead of going straight there Clay brings him to their first ride that takes place in the castle. 

"There's air conditioning inside. I dont care if we are in line for a whole ass hour, I need the cool air." He chuckles nervously.

George doesn't care either way because he's just enjoying the atmosphere. 

But once the ride was over and they left the castle he made his way to get a wand. There was some sort of wand ceremony that would occur in the store, but he decided not to partake because he'd rather a younger kid get to enjoy the moment of a wand "choosing" them. When George came across a replica of Hermione's wand, the wand he wanted, he asked one of the employees about how much it cost. When the red headed young man said it cost $55 George realized he didn't have much cash on him. He had left most of his cash with his mom so that if he lost his wallet he wouldn't lose so much money. 

So he passed, regretfully, on buying the wand. Trying to stay positive, he walked out of the store with Clay lagging behind him, and went to Hog's Head where they sell the famous Butterbeer. There was, as expected, a long line. When Clay went to the bathroom George decided to pull out his phone for the first time. He had a text from Dream.

_Dream: Is it weird that I'm thinking about what you are doing right now?_

The text was sent an hour ago. 

_GeorgeNotFound: No, lol. Are you just that bored?_

There was obvious hesitance to text Dream because all he can think about is asking to see him but he keeps fighting it. 

_Dream: No. I'm with a friend, but I just so happened to be thinking about you."_

_GeorgeNotFound: 0_o. Friend? Are you cheating on me, Dream?_

_Dream: Maybe :P. What if I was? Would you be jealous?_

_GeorgeNotFound: Perhaps. Perhaps I'd be happy for you._

Dream didn't text him back right away. George looked around and saw Clay walking towards him with his phone in his hand. 

_Dream: I'd be jealous if you were cheating on me._

_Oh_

There was no emote indicating that he was just messing around as usual. There was just a matter-of-fact statement jumping out of the screen. They always joke about how they are boyfriends and whatnot. It's never serious. But there was something serious in that one line. The gears in George's head began to turn. The weird negativity that Dream had been displaying previously. 

_God. The book._ The day he spent building the aquarium with Dream on Minecraft took center stage in his head. 

_I feel inadequate. I feel inadequate._

_I don't think I've done a good job being your friend._

_I feel inadequate._

_Inadequate._

_Dream._

"You alright George?" A grinning Clay says as he throws his arm around him. George panics and shoves his phone back in his pocket.

"George?"

 _Inadequate_. 

"Yeah, I'm fine. I think the heat is getting to me," he says chuckling nervously. 

Clay takes a look at his phone then puts it away. "I feel you. The butterbeer will be comforting though."

"Have you had it?"

Clay shook his head. "I've only been to his part of the park once and it was when it first opened. The line was too long." George thought the current line was pretty long but Clay was adamant that the line was much longer when it first opened. 

After George got his drink they went to a shaded area nearby and sat down. He took a sip from the cold Butterbeer which sent a shiver down his spine. Clay didn't get Butterbeer but instead settled for water. 

"Do you want a sip?" George offered coyly. 

Clay's brow raised, "Sure." He took a sip and seemed to like it. "There is a lot going on in that drink," he chuckles.

The two boys sat there quietly for a few minutes trying to cool off and not expend much energy when Clay asks George if he's liking it so far. George nods even though the conversation with Dream lingers in the back of his head threatening his mood. Clay asks George if he wants to go to on the Hogwarts Express to go over to the other Harry Potter area. George didn't hesitate to accept the offer at first but then he did.

"Do you want go?" He felt that Clay wanted to be at Volcano Bay because of the heat. He was nervous about his response causing him to harshly rub his palm.

"What? I'm coming with you, George." He chuckles but stops when he sees George's expression downturn.

"You don't have to, Clay. I mean I appreciate this, truly, but-"

"Stop. I'm having a good time, I promise. I don't mind tagging along with you to go anywhere."

George shakes his head to Clay's disbelief. "But you'd rather be cooling off at the water park."

Clay grabbed his hand unexpectedly, "No. But if I do so what? I'm here, with you. Okay? I wouldn't be here if I really didn't want to be. Plus, do you know how cute you look wandering around this place?"

 _Cute?_ And just like that his heart buzzed. He caught himself looking into Clay's eyes and then his lips. 

"What do you mean cute?"

Clay nervously laughs. "Oh you know, you had this dorky smile on your face when we entered this part of the park. You were practically grinning when we got off that ride before. It's cute. Far better than hearing Sapnap talk about farting or if iced coffee is still iced coffee after the ice melts."

They both laugh together. 

"Yes, I wish it was cooler, but I'm not regretting hanging out with you." His face drops. He looks a way and smiles lightly before wiping the sweat from below his ear. "I never do." His voice lightly cracks towards the end of his soft-spoken words. 

George doesn't know what to say so he takes a swig of his drink. He looks at the taller boy as he fixes his hair. He slowly places his drink in front of him and offers him another sip. They share a warm glance, Clay's smile melting George's heart. For a moment he began to wonder how it feel to kiss Clay. He's never kissed another guy and he almost can't imagine another person to kiss. 

He wants to feel the warmth and wetness of the other's lips on his. He wants to taste the cherry flavored chap stick as his tongue enters freely into Clay's mouth. He wants Clay to hold him against a wall and passionately kiss him. His heart begins to flutter at the thought. 

_Get a grip._ He shakes his head. _Not that type of grip, please._

He takes a deep breath as Clay hands back the almost finished drink and finishes it himself. He can't resist the thought that Clay's wet lips was just on the straw he's drinking from. 

_Stop. You are getting too excited. It's pathetic._

"Why don't we get going? It's getting late and I don't want to rush to meet up with Sapnap."

Clay popped up from his seat. "Shit, you're right. He'll bitch and moan if we are late. Let's go."

After getting off of the Hogwarts Express and heading back outside, George could barely hold his excitement. He leans into Clay, trying not to scream, "Diagon Alley. This is Diagon Alley."

"Oh my god, you are fangirling." He jokingly pushes George away. Again he thinks to himself how cute George is acting. George walks up to a food station and immediately wants to buy something. He mentions again how he needs to find his mom to get cash, but Clay buys him food anyways. 

"I'm going to pay you back."

"Please don't worry about, George. Just enjoy your time." He throws his arm around the smaller boy and continues to walk through Diagon Alley. They hit up the last bit of attractions as part of the Harry Potter world and make their way back to the Marvel area. On their way there George spots a sign for The Mummy ride and walks over to it. Clay shakes his head. 

George has a big grin on his face as he walks back to Clay. He begs the taller boy to come with him and do the ride but he really doesn't want to. Clay's eyes interlock with George's causing him to give in. He lets George drag him to the ride and gets on line. He can feel his stomach begin to get weak. He really didn't want to but he couldn't imagine ditching George.

The more the two have hung out over the summer the more he's wanted to hang out with the British boy. In a way George reminds him of his internet friend who just so happens to be named as George. Sometimes when he talks to GeorgeNotFound he pictures George. This plays a role in how he is around George; how he enjoys just being around him sometimes more than is other friends. He feels like he could unload the pain he is in to George and not be judged. Maybe he can even tell him about GeorgeNotFound.

"You alright?" George asks. Clay shakes his head to snap out of his train of thought. 

"Yeah. Maybe," he nervously laughs. 

They both sit down next each other in the ride. Clay tries to calm himself by taking deep breaths and rubbing his thigh with his hand. He feels so embarrassed being so worried about a stupid ride while George has a big smile on his face. 

The ride begins. They zoom through the track and Clay could hear the cheerful screams of other guests and even George. Meanwhile, he's just biting his cheek. Each passing second feels like an hour. 

He closes his eyes for the rest of the ride until he hears George call his name. The ride is still moving but not as fast so he opens his eyes and looks at the other guy. That's when he notices that his hand is gripping something that isn't his leg. He looks down and see that his hand had clasped onto George's. He loosens his grip, but doesn't let go right away until he realizes that he should let go.

"I'm sorry," 

George cackles. "You were really scared, huh?"

"Yes."

George laughed again but not as loudly. "Well you were safe with me, didn't that mean anything?"

Clay shook his head. "I am not in the headspace to even bounce off of that with a joke." They both laugh as they get out of the ride and head back to the Marvel area in Island of Adventure and meet up with the others.

Sapnap inquires about how much fun they had to which they both confirm they enjoyed their time. He doesn't ask many questions but George catches a stray and lingering eye from Sapnap. It makes him feel uneasy that there is this tension between Sapnap and he and he has no clue why? 

Meanwhile, as they eat dinner Clay decides to finally check his phone, something he hasn't done since this afternoon. He sees a text from GeorgeNotFound sent 10 minutes ago. His heart sinks.

_GeorgeNotFound: I'm in Orlando._

He could feel the air from his lungs escape. A pit in his stomach begins to form. He knew that he was Florida along one of the coasts but he didn't expect him to come to Orlando. Why would he come to Orlando? He panics and thinks that he was stalking him but quickly hops off that idea. He rubs his sweaty hands on his shorts and tries to compose himself since Sapnap is sitting right next to him. The idea that he came to Disney entered his mind but was too much for Clay to think about too much. 

_Dream: Oh._

_What a shit response._ He knows and fears what his friend will ask. He doesn't want to hurt him.

_GeorgeNotFound: Can we please meet up? I'm only here until tomorrow and I'm only in Florida for another 3 weeks. Please don't be mad at me for asking._

Clay just stares at his phone and peers over the words and re-reading it syllable by syllable. All of the sounds around him have gone silent. All he can hear his rapid breathing and thumping heart. He wants to meet with GeorgeNotFound but he is just so anxious. 

What does he text? _Forgive me._

_Dream: No. I'm sorry._

After a few moments George, who is sitting across from him, gets up and says he's going to the bathroom.

Dream just looks at his phone. He waits for his friend to text back but the silence just screams. He feels like he's in a void.

_Dream: Give me time, please. I'll text you tomorrow._

He forced himself to toss his friend a life vest. A life vest he doesn't know he'll come back for. He mishandled this entire situation and he knows it but can he push aside his anxiety for his best friend? 

"I'll be right back," Clay says as he abruptly gets up. Sapnap asks him where he is going but doesn't get a response. So he gets up from his seat and chases after his friend.

"Clay, where are you going, man? You've been acting so weird lately."

"Sapnap, please. I don't want to talk about it."

Sapnap shakes his head. "You never fuckin' do anymore. What, do you just keep everything all bottled up now?"

"Just let me go."

"No. I can't just ignore how you are acting, and I'm not the only one. You are my brother, Clay. Ever since he-"

Clay interrupted him, "Don't bring him into this," he spouts calmly. 

Sapnap scoffs, "George. Ever since he's been hanging out with us you've been acting distant. Do you not trust me to talk about it? Are we nothing?"

Clay feels a rage building up inside of him. Punz comes up behind them and tries to ask questions but he is just ignored by the two headstrong boys. "Fuck you. Fuck you for saying that to me, Sapnap. George has nothing to do with this. He's my friend and don't think I notice how you sneer at him. I don't appreciate it." He's resisted saying anything ever since George mentioned how he thinks Sapnap hates him. That little seed kept growing as he noticed how Sapnap treated him. In all honesty he still didn't think Sapnap hated him, but his mouth got out ahead of his brain. He couldn't stop himself.

The other boy waves it off. "Whatever. Then what is it? That internet friend of yours?" He hit a nerve. Clay's stoic stance crumbles ever so slightly. "It is. What happened?" His tone flipped in an instant trying to walk back over the line he crossed.

"Nothing, Sapnap. Nothing you can fix."

Sapnap grabs his arm, "Tell me, Clay. I know how much he means to-"

Clay snaps his arm from the other's grip. "You don't know anything. Don't stand there and pretend to know what he means to me, and certainly don't act as if you can fix the damage I have done. You cannot fix how I've royally ruined an important friendship."

Sapnap is finally brought to a quiet and mystified state. 

"I love him Sapnap." His voice cracks as he talks about his internet friend. He's never even said those words to himself. He can tell that he is about to cry so he walks away from his friends and focuses on composing himself. He finally gets out of vision from Sapnap and the rest of his friends and finds the restrooms where he assumes George is. 

His phone buzzes in his hand.

_GeorgeNotFound: Sure._

He put his phone back in his pocket knowing full well there was nothing else he could say. He was between a rock and a hard place and he didn't know how to get out. But then he saw George come out of the restroom. He begun to smile and when the other boy saw him he smiled lightly too. He walks up to his friend and remembers something he wanted to do and tells him to follow him. George is confused but doesn't put up a fight. He questions why the others aren't coming but Clay just tells him that they didn't want to come.

George notices the path they are taking is towards the Harry Potter world they were at earlier today. The dead giveaway is when he sees the castle itself off to the left. He looks at Clay who just looks back with a smile. 

"What are we doing here?" George asks him as they stop in front of Ollivanders. Clay just smiles and taps him on the shoulder. He walks into the store, George following closely behind and walks up to the register.

"I'm here to pick up an order." Clay says. He tells the red headed guy from earlier today his name and is handed a bag with a receipt on it. 

George's eyes just glued themselves onto Clay. 

When they head outside Clay hands him the bag. "I wasn't going to let you leave this place with a wand."

Clay sees the sparkle in George's eyes, the same sparkle that was there earlier today when they were walking around this area. George quickly leans in and wraps his arms around him. Clay quickly returns the hug. He could care less than he is in the middle of the park hugging George. Plus people are distracted by the light show that just started.

"You want to watch?"

George separates from Clay and nods. A tear slowly glides from his left eyelid and drips down his cheek leaving a wet trail. When George wipes his face Clay does what he's done a few times today and brings him under his arm. They walk over to an area and sit down together, Clay's arm still around George. Both of the boys look up at the castle as lights splash upon it. Clay can feel George get closer, fully accepting his embrace, and rests his head on him. He grips onto his shoulder slightly harder and rubs the shoulder blade with his thumb. 

The problems currently on his phone are there to stay for this moment. He's allowing himself to enjoy a good time with a friend he's deeply started to care about. And with just a little time left he wants to enjoy every moment he can. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter should come out in two days. ^_^
> 
> In the meantime, if you are interested of course, I have written another fanfiction called The Shadows of History. There is DNF romance and there is much more angst. It's a slow burn. Also, Dream is badass in it. Just saying.


	9. Thunderstorm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for 100 Kudos and 1000+ hits :)
> 
> As usual if any CCs want this taken down I will remove it.

It was the second day in Orlando. George was left wondering what was next for him and Clay after spending a close and tender moment last night. He couldn't get those moments out of his head as he slept in his bed at the hotel. The delicate eyes of Clay looked down on him as he hands him the wand he brought. The tight hold Clay had on him when they hugged. It was the closest he has ever been to Clay; their body melding together so tightly that he could feel the other's heart beat in his chest.

Remembering how Clay's scent sent his body into a thrill later that night. 

They got breakfast together with Clay's friends and didn't bring up much of last night. However, there was a striking and eerie feeling among the boys. On numerous occasions someone would try to strike a conversation only for Clay or Sapnap to end it with some terse reply. They wouldn't even partake in any conversations.

When Sapnap asked Clay what he did last night the other boy simply responded by saying he was with George to relax and enjoy the attractions. Sapnap only responded with a snicker before shoving his face full of toast with an egg over easy on it. George had no clue what was wrong between the two but knew he couldn't query about it. There wasn't a desire to be at the end of a Sapnap glare or tirade. He has seen how Sapnap argues with Punz and Clay.

There was another issue that was nagging at the back of his head and that was Dream. It was a stark contrast from thinking about Clay to thinking about his internet's best friend. One day later and he still can't figure out if he is upset or sad over what happened with him. They ended the evening on poor terms and didn't speak again. Not even a goodnight message was shared. This is the only time he'll be in Orlando so if there was ever a time to meet up wouldn't it be now? 

Then there is the fact he is leaving soon.

They've spoken about meeting up and the latest agreement was that they would eventually meet up but there wasn't a rush. He could get behind the fact that Dream is anxious about meeting up, but still even now? With his best friend having been in Florida for almost 2 months already? He so wanted to be sympathetic to Dream but the disappointment was too much. He couldn't imagine if the tables were turned and it was Dream who was in the UK and asked to meet up that he would say no. It was unfathomable. 

What Dream was doing felt like a betrayal.

Throughout the course of the day he struggled with trying to enjoy the moment and trying to get the painful thoughts out of his mind. Even looking and being with Clay wasn't enough because he too seemed to be struggling with something. It was like they were both using each other to ignore feeling like crap but it was only barely working. When George asked if he was okay, Clay just shrugged. He dodged the question completely. He didn't even fake a smile. 

The most telling part of the whole thing was when they were in Tomorrowland and George wanted to go on Space Mountain. He only had to ask Clay once to go on it and he buckled. Although, he had resorted to gripping his hand firmly half way trough the ride. George didn't tell Clay how much he hurt his hand the previous day on The Mummy ride, simply because he didn't mind it. 

They then went on the ride two more times, the latter bringing a perky smile on the face of Clay. 

The mood got slightly better when they reconnected with the crew, George watching Sapnap and Clay having a 1 on 1 and hugging it out. But Clay still lacked his normal lively personality. A weird cloud hung over the two boys throughout the rest of the evening. 

Meanwhile, as George walked along the path in the middle of The Magic Kingdom he can see the clouds in the distance begin to expand extensively on top of each other. Small flashes of lighting lights up the sky behind the clouds showing their ongoing movement towards the park. 

*Boom*

The fireworks show around the castle begins. George, alone away from everyone with his phone in his hand looks on with a short smile. The moist smell in the air begins to mix with the gunpowder from the fireworks. He looks down at his phone again and is left looking at Dream's name. It says offline. It has said that all day long. They haven't said a word to each other. George knows that he's being unfair to Dream and he knows that Dream feels he has messed up. 

He closely hovers over his keyboard. What can he say to fix things? Can he fix things? Is his best bet just making Dream feel like he hasn't messed up. 

_Can I forgive him?_

_GeorgeNotFound: Hey_

It was all his shaky fingers could type out. He hated himself for clicking send causing him to violent shove his phone back into his pocket. 

_I'm an idiot._

Leaning up against the railing George's eyes stay trained on the fireworks exploding in the night sky. He can feel his phone vibrate in his pocket but he ignores it. 

_Maybe I'm inadequate._

The thoughts scramble his brain and his senses that he can't even see the fireworks anymore. They're just a flash of blurry lights. The explosions play like background music to the horrid nightmare ominously laughing in between his temples. It was as heavy as it has ever been.

_I'm not good enough. I should've asked him when I first got to Florida. I'm a fool._

"George?" a voice calls out. Suddenly George can feel a light pressure on his right shoulder. A tender touch he's felt before. He turns and sees a flash of light reflect off the eyes of the boy in front of him. 

"Hi, Clay." Drops of water pelt the taller boy from above leaving wet streaks across his smooth face.

"Come on. We're all leaving before the storm gets bad." A boom of thunder rocks the skies, followed by a flash of light illuminating the built up clouds above.

George looks away. "Just a moment, please." His voice feels strangled. The air around him became even heavier. Too heavy.

_Don't make me say goodbye, Dream._

"George, it's raining." Clay looked on concerned for his friend who was standing right there in front of him. But he wasn't _there_. What was there was a shell. A shell of the boy he had come to know and care for. A shell that's been cracked and its pieces beginning to fall off exposing the rawness inside. 

"I know," George responds. He can feel the dam break. The pressure in his eyes has become too much and like a pressure cooker he is forced to open the lid. He hopes the tears mix in with the torrential rain so that nobody could see them but when Clay put his arm around him like he did the previous night he can tell Clay knew. 

Clay didn't know what was bothering his friend but he couldn't just leave him unsupported. He desperately hoped not all of the pieces had fallen, that he could give George enough time to hold enough of himself together. Maybe even put some of the pieces back.

He'd stand in the downpour with George for as long as he needed him to. He'd also be hard-pressed to not admit that he didn't feel invigorated by the rain. Almost like he needed it too. His intense focus on the boy in his arms, violently shaking as he gasps for air in between his cries, made him realize that he was using George to shield himself from his own raw feelings. 

But now was not the time to address them. _I can fall apart another day._

George felt a light tug on his shoulder after the tears stopped falling and looked up at a smiling and comforting Clay, streaks of rain flowing down his cheeks, over his dimples and exiting off his chin. His hair was weighed down by the heavy rain that had been falling, so much so that he had to move it from covering his eyes. 

They began to walk to shelter as claps of thunder shook the ground beneath them. Clay whipped out his phone and called his mom. They had already gotten under shelter at the entrance of the park. She said that the storm was going to be short lived and should be done in a few minutes. 

George, dripping from head to toe knew he'd have to change his clothes before they head back to Daytona Beach tonight. His mom had checked out of the hotel already this afternoon. In hindsight they probably should've spent the extra money to stay the night but he understood how much this trip had already cost his mother. Maybe having a moment in the middle of the rain was a bad call. 

Before they left the park, Clay's mom offered to allow them to stay the night at their house but George's mom didn't want to intrude, so they were still going to go straight back to Daytona Beach. 

"I'll go with them," Clay says out of nowhere. "Just in case they get lost." Clay propped a weak smile towards George. 

"Oh no, you don't have to do that honey," George's mom protests. "Go home and go to sleep."

Clay shakes his head, "It's fine. I couldn't go to sleep now anyways."

"That's cause it's too early," Clay's mom cracks. 

"Oh dear. You're like my George I guess. Kid doesn't know how to sleep at normal hours." 

The moms laugh at the expense of their children while the boys just smile at each other. 

On the ride back both Clay and George sit in the back seat together. George can feel his eyes immediately get droopy once he rests his head on the headrest. Clay and he share another glance when the green eyed boy takes his phone out and texts George. 

_Clay: Did you have a good time?_

_George: Yes. Thanks to you._

George peeked over and saw a wide grin on Clay's face. 

_Clay: Is it okay if ask you something personal?_

_George: Of course, Clay._

George can see Clay hesitate on his phone but eventually he texts him. 

_Clay: Back there, in the rain. Um. Are you alright? I'm not going to lie I was a little concerned._

He was too tired to overthink his answer so he was honest. Well mostly.

_George: I just had an off evening. Something just made me emotional and I had to let it out._

_Clay: I hear you. We all need to have those moments to ourselves to just let it out._

_Clay: I hope I didn't annoy you by being there tonight._

George couldn't help but smile. 

_George: Not at all. You made it easer. Sometimes it's good to have someone there. Someone who just gives you a structure to lean on when things feels like they are falling apart._

_George: And I was falling apart._

His thoughts trailed after he hit send that final time. It didn't occur to him how his fingers typed what he was thinking without him really noticing. The exhaustion had made it so hard for him to properly think to himself. He could feel Clay's leer, himself barely being able to keep his eyes open. He looked at Clay one last time closed his eyes. An arm swooped around him and welcomed him in. He could feel a finger rub circles on his arm. He couldn't open his eyes, his mind barely aware of itself, and his ear hearing a soft rhythmic thumping. 

An hour later he woke up right where he slept; in Clay's arms. 

He was too tired to feel embarrassed or worried about what his mom may say. She liked to speculate about him having a boyfriend, but she was accepting. 

Before going to sleep he decided to shower and have a snack. He looked over at his computer set up and thought about playing Minecraft for a short while. He thought about Dream. That's when his mind raced to remind him about the text he sent. Did Dream message him back?

*You have 1 new voice message: Dream*

It was sent 10 minutes ago. It was only 8 seconds long. If George was tired before he was wide awake now. His heart rate must be beating at an extremely unhealthy level because he could feel the blood rush to his face.

He was nervous. 

He clicked the play button and placed the speaker to his ear. It was silent, but George could hear the distant sounds of waves crashing. The wind rocked the background muffling the voice that has just begun to speak.

"I'm sorry." 

Two words. The voice cracked towards the end of the message. George can feel the pressure building back up in his throat. He wanted to voice message Dream back, but he knew he would lose it.

_GeorgeNotFound: Don't be, Dream. I'm not mad at you. I'm not going to let yesterday ruin all of these years of friendship. I love you, Dream._

_I feel inadequate._

Dream responded a few minutes later after typing out multiple responses but never sending one. 

_Dream: I love you too, Georgie. Give me 2 weeks. I promise. I will see you before you go back home. I want a hug._

_GeorgeNotFound: I need one._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To the people in the comments, thank you so much. I do appreciate them. I'm going to be a bit busy for the next couple days so no chapter until after the weekend. But I do hope you enjoyed this chapter. I think I may have to apologize to a couple of you :)
> 
> I've also written another DNF fanfiction with a lot of mcyt creators also in it. It's called The Shadows of History. On top of that, there may be another DNF fic that I upload tonight. I just came up with a small idea and felt like writing it out for the hell of it.


	10. Struggle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was a mess to write lmao. I hope y'all enjoy it.
> 
> If any of the CC's want this fanfic taken down I will do so.

George woke the following day with more energy than he usually does in the morning. Well it's 12:20PM, but he just woke up so it's morning to him. He checks his phone and sees he has a good morning text from both Dream and Clay so he texts them back. 

He then went back to he voice message that Dream left him. He listened to it at least 6 times. Two simple words. He could barely hear it behind the crashing waves. But as he listened he heard the pain in Dream's voice. It stifled an inflection in his voice. 

"Oh look who is up!? My ray of sunshine." George's mother jokingly says out loud. "Sleep well?"

"Yes, actually I did." He proceeded to grab the toast off the counter that his mom just made and placed it on a plate where he delicately buttered it. He catches his mom looking at him suspiciously. "Is something wrong?"

She awkwardly smiles and declines. "Oh no. Nothing is wrong."

George sighs and places his knife down on the granite table smearing some butter on it. "What is it?"

"That Clay, kid. You know the pretty boy next door you've been hanging out with?"

_Oh no._

George picked up the knife and continued to place another sliver of butter along the pieces of bread. "What about him?" he mutters pretending that he doesn't know this is about him falling asleep in his arms last night in the car. He knew his mom would ask about it, but he didn't want to talk about it. It was a harmless thing. 

It felt normal.

"Are you two-"

George dropped his knife. "No. We are not. We're just friends ma. He's not even into guys." He didn't know that for sure but he thought it was a safe assumption. 

"I see. That's not what it looked like to me."

George shook his head. "That's because you are a boomer. Guys nowadays aren't afraid about showing affection to each other. It's not a societal sin like it was back in our day." He kept his tone light so not to seem annoyed, because he wasn't. He just didn't want her gossiping about Clay and his sexuality. He also noted his hypocrisy considering he struggles with showing affection to other people. He can't explain how easy it is to embrace Clay and his affection but again, it felt normal. 

_Right?_

"Okay okay, if you say so George. I'm sorry for pestering. It's just I spoke to him last night in the car while you were asleep. He seems like a good guy."

"It's okay, and I know he is." George stood still for a second as he replayed what his mother said. "Wait. What did you guys talk about?"

His mom laughed. "Not much. I told him that he could wake you up if he was uncomfortable but he said it was okay. I believe his exact words were, 'No, I don't want to wake him. He seems comfortable so I'm comfortable with that.'"

George's legs nearly gave out. He clears his throat. "Oh. That's very nice of him."

His mom moved on from Clay to ask if he was going to the festival in town. Every summer at Daytona Beach there is a festival. During this festival there is a carnival that typically sets up shop along with pop up tents that act as stations for numerous different things such as food and art. George wasn't sure if he was going to go but would likely do what Clay plans on doing. If Clay is going then he assumes he will too. 

Something meandering in the back of his brain continues to try and make it's way to the forefront. Everything about the last 24 hours bounce off each other like a game of pong, a game that just won't end. His mom giving her side of what last night looked like added an extra ball to ricochet off the sides of his thought process. 

Clay's sultry stare, soft hands and tightened tug into his body flashes in front of his eyes like seizure inducing scene in a movie. His brain gives him no warning. His body reacted harshly under a domino effect. He got up from the stool and walked to the bathroom where he looked at himself in the mirror, his stomach raring to upturn itself. 

_What's happening? Why am I freaking out?_

Clay was just a friend. A friend he was attracted to, but just a friend. _That's how I see him._

_"I just want you to know if you were gay, it wouldn't change a thing between us."_ Clay said that to him over a month ago. _"In fact, if I were gay I'd consider myself lucky to call you my boyfriend."_

He also said that.

_If he was gay why would he be into me? Why would anyone?_ The self-esteem issues he's pushed away for so long have found their way to the surface, making easy work of the vulnerable state he's been in due to how Clay turns him into mush. 

His phone buzzes in his pocket.

Clay.

_Clay: Hey, we're going to the festival today. You want to come with us?_

George stared at the message. He typed out one message accepting the invite but then deleted it. 

_George: I'm going to shower right now. Maybe I'll meet you guys later._

_Clay: Sure, no problem. ;)_

He hedged. He was incapable of giving Clay a clear answer but he really didn't want to decline the invite and give off a bad vibe.

And so began a day of boredom and stress. He spent most of the afternoon in his room, but more specifically in his own thoughts. He had texted Dream but Dream said he was busy. When he went to boot up Minecraft his body shut down. He didn't want to do that either. 

He was left to his own thoughts, trying to understand how exactly he feels. This isn't depression. This isn't self-hate, not completely anyways. This is like being caught between points of nothingness while everything is beyond those points. He's caught in this area, this void, because he needs to figure his shit out.

He knows he likes Clay more than as a friend. He's known this for a while now. But does Clay know that? Does Clay already assume that? Why is this bothering him? Why does he care if Clay is asking to hang out with him? If Clay does know that George is into him then he obviously doesn't care. 

_I am so stupid._

George turns around in his bad and shoves his face into the pillow and screams as loudly as he can. His mom is out with Clay's mom getting alcohol for the BBQ tonight so he doesn't have to worry about her hearing him. 

He decided to get out of bed and go outside and find Clay. It makes no sense to beat himself up over a boy he'll never see again after he leaves in two weeks. 

He finds the 4 boys eating food at a public table. He sees a spot next to Clay open and sits down like he normally would. The blonde haired boy meets his gaze and smiles as he holds onto a calzone. "I didn't think you were going to come," he said softly.

George didn't think he would either. 

"Why wouldn't he?" Sapnap started with a smirk on his face. "Why would he pass up on getting to see your beautiful face?"

"Sapnap," Clay says trying not to choke on his food. He places his hand up and waves his finger. 

George can feel the panic from before trickle to his stomach and throat. He's forcing a smile to hide his anxiousness while his brain is trying to come up with a snarky response. But the questions swirl around rapidly fogging his ability to think. 

Does he know? How could he know? Is it that obvious? Has Clay talked to him about last night? George clears his throat and takes a deep breath. 

"You can't say that like _that_ , you know? I told you already that he doesn't get your humor." Clay lightly peeks over at the insecure boy, his cheeks widened from smiling. Reassurance. 

"Who says I'm joking, Clay?"

Clay just shakes his head, "Just because you hang out with me for my looks doesn't mean he does," he adds with an uproar. Sapnap feigns being insulted and gasps. 

"I'm not here for your looks, Clay. How egotistical of you. I'm here for Bad's."

"What?!" Clay, Bad and Punz say out loud together to a chuckling Sapnap. In the middle of their laughing fit Clay peers over to George and realizes that he isn't laughing. He can see that something is wrong so he lightly kicks the other boy's shoe to get his attention.

Out of his trance, George looks down and sees Clay's white and black sneakers next to his foot. He looks up and sees the wide smile from Clay had disappeared, replaced by a more subdued one. He forces a smile, still held back by the lingering doubts and questions making him even more unsure of his motives and actions. 

Clay caught on. 

"Hey guys I'm gonna get a refill," he says shaking his nearly empty plastic cup. You can hear the rumbling of the ice as they bounce off of each other inside the container itself. 

The other boys, recovering from the laughing fit, essentially wave him off so he pats George on the shoulder and asks if he wants to come. The two share an understanding glance leaving George to accept the invite.

"You know he was joking, right?" Clay asks.

"Yeah. I think," he wavers in response. 

"Well he was and even if he wasn't, who cares. I don't and I would hate if you did. I promise he meant no ill will."

George's brain demurred. He was rubbing the inside of his shirt down by the brim. He didn't know how to answer. Everything that he was so sure of seemed so confusing now.

"Did you, um," he paused catching the wandering eye of Clay as he poured himself another drink from the Coca-Cola fountain. "Did you tell them about last night?"

Clay seemed confused. "What, about the moment in the rain with us? No. That's between us, Georgie." His voice was soft but his words were sharp. 

_Georgie._

It sent a shockwave through George's body. The only person who called him that was Dream. 

Clay looked away for a second, smile disappearing, but then seemed to bounce back as if it was just a momentary lapse in thought. 

George shook his head. He could tell he was rubbing the cotton of his shirt even tougher. 

"No, about the car ride."

Clay's eyes widened, but he shook his head. "No. Why would I?" 

George shook his head and began to walk away ahead of Clay. He was overreacting and he knew it. He knew it from the moment Sapnap joked around to the moment he opened his mouth.

"Hey hey, George?" Clay stopped him in his tracks. "Did I do something wrong?" His tone sullen, significantly contrasting with is tone just moments ago. It was riddled with shards of pain. 

_How could he think that he did anything wrong?_

"No. I don't think so." He wavered again. His legs were beginning to feel like jello. He peered over at the table where Clay's friends sat. They haven't noticed him and Clay having this conversation that surely looks suspicious.

Clay was unsure how to proceed. He was completely taken aback by George. Then something clicked in his head. 

"George, there was nothing wrong about last night in the car. You slept in my arms, big deal. It's not like I didn't invite you to do so. It didn't mean anything. I mean I could've woken you up but-"

George interrupted him, his mouth unable to keep everything in it. "That's the thing, Clay. It did mean something." For a few seconds they just looked at each other. "It meant something to me," he whispered. His voice descended to nothingness towards the end when he realized he said too much. He almost hoped that Clay wasn't able to hear him. 

But he did.

"Oh. I see." Clay looked away and took a sip from his drink. When he looked back at George he can see the other boy struggling with his emotions. "That's okay, Georgie."

George shakes his head. "Don't call me that. Just stop, please." A tear escapes and he quickly wipes it away. He takes a deep breath and shakes his head again. Clay tries to comfort him but George just shrugs him off. "I'm sorry. I have to go." He turned around and walked away. He glanced back over to the table and saw the other 3 boys looking at him. It added another layer of pain to the situation. He mad an ass out of himself in front of Clay's friends.

When he got back home he immediately went to his room and plopped himself on the bed and cried. He self-destructed in a matter of hours. He couldn't contain himself, he just allowed it to keep going like a train without any breaks. 

But he could've stopped it. He didn't have to bring up the car ride. He could've accepted the response from Clay addressing the moment in the rain, but because that wasn't what he was asking about his brain couldn't help itself but stubbornly stick to the car ride. It's like he needed to know that Clay didn't say anything or cared in order to believe it when he shouldn't have been questioned it.

Then Clay said it didn't matter and that was like flint and steel to a room full of tnt. A cascade of pain that coursed through the barriers inside of George. Destruction that was too much to handle. It didn't matter that George tried to convince himself that it was just a normal thing that two guys do. Deep down, George knew it was something more and his heart couldn't ignore it anymore. He couldn't ignore it anymore. And now Clay can't. 

He could hear his phone buzz in his pocket. He fought his desire to see what was texted along with his desire to text Dream. He ignored it further for the few minutes so that he could cry and unload his regret and guilt in the pillow below him. 

When he finally stopped crying he got up and went to the kitchen. He opened the fridge and saw 4 bottles of water, a half finished bottle of cranberry juice and newly opened container of Apple Juice. He grabbed the apple juice and slid it on the counter nearby. After pouring himself a drink and taken a sip he decided to whip out his phone. He had 3 notifications, but neither were from Clay or Dream. One was from his mom asking if he needed anything from the store, but the other 2 were from Punz. 

_**4:24 PM:** Hey dude, are you okay? _

_**4:25 PM:** What happened between you and Clay?_

Just as he was hovering over the digital keyboard he saw the text bubble pop up. He waited with agony to see what Punz was going to say. 

_Punz: You can trust me, George. I know I'm Clay's friend but I consider you a friend too. Clay hasn't told us what happened but Sapnap can worry about him. I'm worried about you._

George didn't expect a message like that from Punz. Punz was actually the first person he had a decent conversation with from the group. He was the one who originally asked him to hang out. 

_George: I don't know. I think I just need time to myself. I overreacted and I took it out on Clay._

_Punz: That's okay. It happens. Just don't be too hard on yourself. Trust me, you are more upset at yourself than Clay is._

_George: Thanks, Punz._

He didn't know what to else to say. 

After finishing his cup of apple juice he pours himself a new cup and walks outside to the balcony and takes a seat. He looks out to the scores of people on the white sandy beaches. The sun hasn't set but had begun its descent to the horizon. There was a slight coolness in the air compared to how most days had been. 

While watching the half a dozen kites fly in the calm sky above he hears his phone buzz on the glass table. 

Clay had finally texted him.

George takes a deep breath and can instantly feel his heart rate double in speed. He feared a lot, but he tried to hold onto Punz's words rather than let his brain twist everything as it usually did. 

_Clay: It meant something to me too._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Serious thank you for the kudos and hits. I also appreciate all of the comments, which I try to respond to.
> 
> I've been working on two other fics: The Shadows of History, which is a much more dramatic and conflict driven DNF fic. The other one is Study Partner, which is DNF but in college.


	11. The World

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a CHAPTER. This was actually going to be in Chapter 10 until I decided I didn't want a 7k word chapter and I wanted to make you guys/gals suffer. 
> 
> If any of the CCs want this chapter removed I will take it down.

George spent the next couple hours just looking at the message that Clay left him over and over again. He didn't respond to him. He didn't trust his brain to coherently type out a response that wasn't stupid. He didn't feel good about leaving Clay hanging but he didn't have a choice. There are numerous ways the conversation could go and a lot of them could leave things worse than they already are.

It wasn't worth the risk. 

As he sat on the balcony he could hear the noise in the background grow louder and louder. People were coming out to party, cook food, dance and everything in between. He couldn't ignore it. On top of that he hadn't received a text message from anyone, not even a message from Dream. He didn't know why Dream wasn't messaging him. But then again he hadn't message Dream all day either. 

He let it be.

He could hear the door to his house open and close. He figured it was his mom. She had come back an hour earlier with groceries for the beach house and for the BBQ up the block. The door to the balcony opens slowly. 

"George, there is a young man here who wants to talk to you."

_Clay. Oh no._

"Okay." He struggled to voice more words. 

"Well you are clearly in a mood, do you want me to tell him that you are busy?"

She saw right through him. It was a mother's intuition that allowed her to see the bullshit that stared right back at her.

"It's fine."

She urges him to come and have fun when he's done talking, but he doesn't give her an inclination either way.

When she disappears behind the door another body appears to open the door. It wasn't Clay. 

"Sapnap, what are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing. What the fuck happened between you and Clay?"

George sighed and rolled his eyes. 

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Well you are going to. I've never seen him this upset. So I've made it my mission to come here, figure out what is wrong, and bring you with me so we can all have fun." 

He was confused. "What? Why?"

Sapnap was frustrated but not with George. "C'mon George. He's my best friend and he cares about you. I want to help you so I can help him."

George laughed nervously, "You sure you don't want to joke at my expense." He immediately regretted his choice of words and saw Sapnap take a step back. His tense posture had been whittled down.

"Bro, I didn't mean to insult you. I just-" he paused. Starting again with his voice calmer and softer he says, "I just figured since you are part of the crew I could just mess with you. You were always so rigid around us I wanted to get you out of your shell." He lightly punched his leg as he comes to a realization, "Damn that's why Clay always scolded me. I'm sorry, dude. I really am." 

George couldn't hold everything down. Everything was bubbling to the surface. He had taken off the band-aid this afternoon that it would be impossible to place back over the wound now. The wound was raw, with riling pain coursing through George's body. 

"Then what about the joke today?"

Sapnap's brows scrunched up. He slowly retraced everything he had said today and remembered the joke he said about George earlier. 

"Oh that? I mean I didn't mean it like that. But-"

_But?_

"Clay is my best friend. I'm not stupid. I notice things. I notice how you look at him, George. I think we all notice it, but I didn't think bringing that up would bother you."

"Well it did."

Sapnap approached George who felt himself tense up. "But why?" he asked.

"Because I-" he stammered. His thought process was cut off and he was lost.

"None of us care, man. I certainly don't. If you are gay for Clay that's fine by me. Who am I to care? Clay also doesn't care. That I know for a fact."

The tension broke harshly like it was all built up for nothing. There was no viable release, just blowback for being tense for no reason. Again. He could feel something wet stream down his right cheek and then another feeling of wetness on his left. The other boy closed the distance between them, grabbed George's arm and brought him in for an embrace. He let the smaller statured boy cry into his shoulder as he reassured him that he had nothing to worry about and that he won't make those type of jokes again. 

"You should know something. Clay told me not to tell you, but I feel like I should."

He then proceeded to tell George, who was composing himself, that Clay told him about the two boys who called him a faggot. The day after it happened Sapnap had recognized them at the beach so he and Punz decided to do something about it. They threatened them and made sure that they knew George had friends who would defend him. 

"I saw them approach you two that day at the beach. I made sure to remember what they looked like. Of course Clay wasn't going to tell me so I confronted him about it and then he told me. I didn't tell him that Punz and I were going to do anything until after we did."

George felt a rush of warmth fill him in. If there was one way to learn that he was wrong and that the panic was ill-conceived it was this way. He misjudged Sapnap. Horribly.

_You are part of the crew._

"Thank you Sapnap."

Sapnap gave George some time to settle down before coming to join him and everyone at the BBQ up the block. There was a lot in his head that he had to reassess and recalibrate but for right now he just wanted to focus on tonight. He wanted to be in the here and now without trying to worry or overthink too much, like he hasn't done enough of that already. Before heading out he tossed his phone on his bed. A distant thought, Dream, lingered in his mind as he stared at the black casing of his phone. 

No. He can talk to him tomorrow. Balancing Dream, Clay, and his own mental capacity is what got him in this position. One problem at a time.

The scene outside was similar to the July 4th party. Loads of people outside laughing, playing games, drinking, eating and listening to music. The bouquet of food varied this time. A smack of meat and a sliver of fish tussled in the air trying to dominate one's sense of smell. Just as he saw a table full of hamburgers and ribs he could see another table with a baked salmon. There were stations set up near the intersection from local businesses to buy Cuban sandwiches and tacos. The atmosphere was jovial, immediately uplifting an unsteady George. 

He got a little bit more unsteady when he made it to his destination. 6 round tables loitered the perfectly green grass in front of light blue paneled home. In front of the indigo colored dog-eared fencing he saw Clay sitting by himself toying away at his phone and drinking what George assumed was an alcoholic beverage. The other boy didn't see him approach until he was seated next to him. 

"So you seem to be having fun," George nervously says.

Clay looks up to him and struggles to smile. He blinks his eyes a couple times and his smiles slowly widens. "Yeah, so much fun," he sardonically adds. He places his phone screen down on the table and turns his body to George. 

There was such an odd energy between the two boys, an energy George was desperate to do away with. 

"Sapnap came to see me."

Clay rolled his eyes. "I told him not to."

George laughed, "Yeah well he's like a bull. You can't tell him to do anything, he just does as he pleases." The two boys still sat awkwardly next to each other, the taller one fidgeting in his seat rocking the uneven legs of his chair back and forth. 

"I'm sorry for freaking out today. I was way too into my head and I guess I just combusted and you had to deal with the fallout."

Clay smiled again but shook his head. "Don't apologize. I think we both have been in our own heads and it just fell apart at the same time."

George looked away. He studied the wavy pattern of the fence nearby. He became annoyed with how uneven the fence was when he stared too harshly. "Why do you think that is?" 

Clay fidgeted again. "Probably because you are leaving in two weeks." His voice cracked at the end. He cleared his throat and took a long swig of his drink. The face he made indicated the drink had some bite to it. "At least for me, I'm going to miss you. I didn't want to upend anything." He cleared his throat once more. 

"I'll miss you too, Clay."

George looked down as he said it, fighting the burgeoning emotions trying to seek a vent to escape. He looked over just enough to see Clay's hand hanging limb on on the table. He slowly lifts his arm, placing his hand on the table and inches over to Clay's. Before he could place his hand on Clay's someone clamps there hands on his shoulder startling the two other boys.

"Sapnap!?" Punz barks. 

George shares a nervous look at Clay and then at Punz.

"Hello mamas! You're here, let's get you a drink my dude!"

George's jaw had dropped in complete disbelief that Sapnap ruined that moment. Punz leans into George and whispers his apology, indicating that he understood what was happening. "I tried to stop him. He's a brute."

Clay takes another sip of his drink. When he places it back down on the table, George grabs it and finishes it off. He wipes his mouth of any spill from the drink and gets up from his chair.

"Come on, Clay. Let's refill your drink, perhaps with something harder."

"That's the spirit!" Sapnap yells.

"You boys be careful, now" a soft feminine voice says.

George turns and sees his mom, who is holding a large glass of white wine. She shoots her son a nod greenlighting what he's about to do. 

"Don't worry, Mrs, um-" Sapnap stutters. "George." George calmly throws his face into the palms of both of his hands as Sapnap throws his arm around him nearly knocking him off balance. He leans into George's ear, "What's your last name again?" 

"You are an idiot, Sapnap," Punz retorts shaking his head. 

"And you're a bitch," Sapnap quickly fires back.

"Language!" Bad yells.

A silence enshrouds the group before they laugh collectively. 

"It's Davidson," George's mom happily responds. She walks away to sit with the other mothers at a table nearby. 

"C'mon let's go," Clay says as he finally gets up from his chair. He and George share a glance but Sapnap ruins the moment again with a terse tug of George's shoulder as he walks with him. 

_Okay._

Sapnap got 3 of the other boys to play a game of beer pong. Only Bad sat out because he didn't think it would be a good idea to rush to get drunk. Which he's probably right about. The teams were decided very easily; Sapnap and Punz versus George and Clay. Clay and Sapnap were going back and forth with the smack talk. 

As they filled the cups up with Mike's Hard Lemonade George came up with the idea to fill one of the cups with a shot of vodka. Clay needed a few seconds to be convinced but by the time he was okay with it Sapnap had already poured a shot in his and was walking over to pour a shot in one of their cups. They established the rules of the game, ridding themselves of the "heating up" and "on fire" option of gameplay. 

As George raised his arm and prepared to throw his shot, Sapnap adapted his tactics from minigolf and brought them over to this game of beer pong. He barked, like a dog as George tossed the ball. The distraction caused George to flinch mid throw leaving the ping pong ball to miss the table completely. Like not even close to hitting the table. Closer to hitting Bad who was sitting in a lawn chair off to the side sipping on his drink.

George shot a dagger of a look at Sapnap who responded by blowing him a kiss. He pretended to catch it and threw it away. 

After Clay missed his shot Punz attempted to sneak one in by low bouncing the ball. Clay saw it and reacted by slapping the ball after it bounced to their side of the table. He waved his finger at Punz who gave him the finger. 

A breeze of wind sends a shiver down George's spine causing him to shake. 

"Chilly?" Clay asks.

The summer day had been replaced by a fairly cool evening and the wind had just started to kick in. Even though the alcohol he was drinking was warming him up he could still feel the cool breeze when it kicked up. He could see a couple people wearing long sleeved shirts. It was abnormally cool for an August night.

"Just a little."

Their attention turns back to the game where they both sink their balls in the other team's cups. George even got his ball into the cup with vodka. Due to them both sinking their balls they get them back for another toss. George misses his second shot but Clay sinks his giving them a 3 cup lead. 

"This is where the comeback begins," Punz declares before he sinks his ball in the back cup that holds a shot of vodka. George goes to grab it but Clay gets to it instead. He sticks his tongue out and downs the cup. 

"That is just not good vodka. Sapnap, your father literally has Absolut? What is this? Everclear?"

Sapnap shrugs. "Uh no. I think it's Smirnoff."

Clay exaggerates a gag. 

As time passes Sapnap and Punz get to within one of George and Clay who are sitting with 1 lonely cup to sink on the other side of the table. Sapnap cleanly gets his ball in the back cup leaving Punz to finish it up.

"I got this. This game is over," he adds as he aims his shot.

He misses.

"Oh what was that?" Clay teases. 

George, in possession of his ball decided to take the opportunity and attempts what Punz did before. He bounces the ball on the table at a low angle. The other two boys don't notice until the ball hits the front of the rim of the cup, pops up in the air slightly and sinks into the middle of the alcohol. 

This time it is George who blows a kiss at Sapnap.

"Don't make me come over there and kiss you on the lips. I'll do it."

"Oh god, no," George jokes. 

"I'll be right back," Clay says brushing his hand along the back of George.

George watches Clay walk to his home. Sapnap and Punz begin to prep up the next game of Beer Pong. They ask if Bad has changed his mind, but instead of answering he cracks open another bottle of Mike's Hard and take a long sip of it before grinning. George can't help but silently chuckle to himself.

When Clay gets back he is holding a green hoodie and a small bottle of Absolut. Clay hands Sapnap the bottle and tells him to fill one cup with that rather than the Smirnoff. He then walks over to George with a warm smile on his face and holds the hoodie in front of him. Their eyes meet for a second. George grabs the hoodie, rubbing soft cotton fabric in between his fingers. 

"Thanks," George tenderly says as puts the hoodie on. As he slides it down his body Clay's scent barrages his dulled senses. 

"It probably needs to be washed, but I've only worn it once in the last week," Clay says embarrassed.

George, now rubbing the cuff of the hoodie in between his fingers, replies, "It's fine."

They are interrupted by a grunt from across the table. When they look over they see Sapnap with his arms crossed methodically tapping on his elbow. Clay and George laugh together and take their spots at the table for the next game of Beer Pong. 

After losing the second game Clay and George couldn't settle for 1-1 tie in beer pong game so they challenge the other two boys to a rematch. While they set up Sapnap pours the four of them each a shot. At this point George is feeling the alcohol but is having a good time. Before they could take their drink he stops them. He looks back at Bad who is still sitting on the chair and tells him to get up and come over. 

He then grabs the small bottle of vodka and pours another shot and hands the cup to Bad who puts his hand up denying it.

"For me, Bad. I feel like you are left out of this drink and I hate that."

"Aww," he looks at the small plastic shot glass in George's hand. He didn't want to take the shot but he accepted the drink from the other boy. 

"I just want to say that I'm glad to call you all my friends. Even you Sapnap."

"AYYY" Sapnap replies loudly. "To the fucking boys!" he yells as he holds his shot glass up. 

"To the boys," George says quietly to Clay as if he was talking directly to him. The 5 of them take their shots and assume their positions for the final game of Beer Pong.

~~~~~~

After hours of sobering up in his room and bathroom, delicately drinking cups of water to rehydrate himself, George finally decides to heat up some frozen pizza bagels. He didn't really eat much tonight outside of a few pigs in a blanket that Sapnap had jokingly fed him. 

It finally dawned on him, after setting the timer for the oven, that he hadn't checked his phone all night. He walks into his room and finds his phone on the floor half under his bed. He's not sure how it got there but he wasn't going to question it. 

He had 1 text from Dream. 

From 4 hours ago.

_Dream: I want to see you next week._

Dream had said yesterday that he was going to meet up with George before he leaves in two weeks. George trusted him. He believes he's being honest, but there's a flicker of doubt. A flicker he wishes he could wash away.

_GeorgeNotFound: You give me the when and where then and I'll be there._

Dream responded quickly. 

_Dream: Okay. I'll text you after the weekend when I'm 100% sure._

_Dream: Also, I see you had an eventful night responding so late lol :P._

A pang of guilt hit George. 

_GeorgeNotFound: I'm sorry :/_

_Dream: Don't worry. You are just enjoying your summer with friends. I'm happy for you. <3_

He couldn't discern if the heart emoji was forced or not so he just sent one back and left it at that. But he was left with thoughts. Thoughts that rushed back his feelings from earlier today. Thankfully they were sent flying when the timer to the oven went off. 

He gently placed the hot cookie sheet with pizza bagels down on top of the stove and let them cool for a moment. In the mean time he poured himself a glass of apple juice and set it down next to a plate. He felt a bit of nausea as he placed each pizza bagel on the plate as if he may not be able to keep them down. He hadn't thrown up yet, thankfully due to him not drinking too much but he knows he got really close. He began to feel light on his feet. The biggest mistake he made was sitting down. He almost fell over when he stood back up. However, since coming back home he's been able to feel his weight and slowly regain his sobriety. 

He still has a headache and still feels his thoughts being manipulated by the alcohol. 

After downing the first pizza bagel he didn't gag or feel the need to regurgitate so he ate another. And then another.

As he ate he noticed something on the beach as he peered out the balcony. He saw someone sitting on the lifeguard chair. 

"Clay?" he whispered to himself. 

He assumed from previous times he'd seen Clay go there that it was him. It was his friend. He went back to his room, grabbed his phone, put on his flip-flops and got ready to go outside. He decided to bring the 3 pizza bagels he had left in case Clay was hungry. 

The sand was so much colder than it was when the sun was out. The breeze that started to trickle in earlier in the evening had gotten a bit heftier making George shiver a little. That's when he looks down and sees that he was still wearing Clays green hoodie. He never did give it back to him when they went their separate ways after the party ended. 

Clay never asked for it back either.

Judging by the shoulders and the thick hair swaying in the wind, George could confirm that the person sitting up on the lifeguard chair was in fact Clay. The other boy notices him before he could get his attention. He didn't say anything, just smiled and waved almost like it was an invitation for George to come up. 

"I brought you food. Well it's my food but I saw you from my kitchen and I thought you'd be hungry." He worked his way up the metal ladder just to hold out the plate to Clay who graciously accepted it. When he got up to the top he looked down. He had never sat in a life guard chair let alone know just how high it was. 

"Thank you," Clay says as he delicately takes a bite of a pizza bagel. He looks out to the ocean. There are over a dozen ships out in the distance, ships that they can see clearly. During the day the sun's glare off the ocean along with the haze that develops along the horizon sometimes makes it harder to see the ships. But from up on top of the lifeguard chair they can see assortment of lights across the length of each ship. 

"Why are you here?"

Clay shrugs. "It's calm, I guess." 

There was something about his tone that rubbed George the wrong way. It reminded him of their conversation earlier today at the festival, which felt like forever ago to George. It was a tone that just felt surrounded by shards of glass. 

"There's so much out there, George. It makes me think about just how small we are in the world. They say that space is the great expanse, right? But to me, that, is the great expanse," he says pointing at the ocean. "And we just see a small portion of it. We can't see what is on the other side of this ocean. I've never been over there. This world offers me so much but what do I offer it?"

_Clay._

"What do you think?" George asks. He holds out his cup of apple juice to Clay who takes it and take a small sip of it. 

He shook his head. "I don't know. What do you think you offer it?"

George didn't appreciate the flip of the script onto him, admittedly wanting to laugh but knew the mood was too serious for that. "I'm not sure. Is there much I can offer it? I'm just 1 person, Clay. I guess the best I can do is not take it for granted."

Clay hadn't looked at him, eyes sill entranced by the ocean. But a smile appeared. And not a mask, a real smile. 

"Then why do I feel like I should do more?"

George thought the question was misguided. 

"Clay, maybe it's not that you think you should give the world more. Maybe it's that you feel bad for what the world gives to you. You say we are so small in the scheme of things, not just the universe but here at home, on Earth. You are right. We are. You're battle with that reality is that you think because you are so unimportant in the big picture that you don't deserve what this grand world gives you."

Clay finally looked at him. "I don't know what you mean."

George sighed. "Do you remember that night on the 4th of July? We stood in my kitchen."

Clay's eyes squinted and then widened. "Yes. Of course."

"You remember when you asked me to look at you and tell you, honestly, what I saw?"

Clay nodded. "You said that I was a caring friend who makes those around him lucky." He had remembered that line like it was yesterday. 

"Right. Ask me again."

"What?"

"Ask me what I see in front of my very eyes again, Clay." George felt a confidence and determination he hadn't had in who knows how long. He could feel Clay was barely keeping himself together. 

"What do you see in front of you?" His voice was tender but slightly lost in the air between them.

George looked right into Clay's vulnerable eyes. "I see a friend. A friend who is devoted to his friends, and that devotion makes them lucky." It was similar to what he had said previously, but his brain raced around constructing a new addition to the answer. He had watched Clay constantly be there for him, almost being forced to share his pain. But never once did Clay share the pain that he has been holding onto like a rotting corpse the whole summer. Even though he has 4 friends right next to him that would be there for him. He's afraid.

"It's that devotion that also works in reverse. You try so hard to be there for others, to give them something that it creates a fear. Fear that if you stop giving and decide to take that you may not be able to give anymore or that what you've given is simply not enough to make up for what you _need_ to take."

They sat in silence. Clay's body relaxed for a second as he sat back and looked ahead. He could feel his eyes begin to water up and he had no intention of unloading onto George even if that is what he's asking for him to do. Clay knows now that George has seen right through him all of this time and it's shaken him to his core. If someone he just met could read him like it was nothing, then perhaps his friends do to. He's been living a lie to himself and them. 

But how could this person he met just a couple months ago, who he first saw at an Arcade and then proceeded to hit in the head with a football, happen to understand him so well? He rubs the outline of his phone in his pocket as he thinks of the only person he speaks to regularly on it.

"You've been an amazing friend to me." George was spilling everything. He had no reason to keep it from Clay. It was time to be honest. He fidgeted in the chair so his body face Clay's. "I came here with my own expectations and fears. I didn't expect to make friends and I didn't expect to be accepted into your group. Most of all I didn't expect you." George was too nervous to keep his eyes locked on Clay so he just stared at one singular ship in the horizon. "You ignored my hesitations. You took my reservations as a challenge for one reason or another, maybe I'll never know, but you blew by them like they were nothing. You just stood next to me, threw your arm around me and held me close. Closer and closer as time passed too. You made me feel sublime."

They sat there in silence again. George struggled to gather more of his thoughts, unsure if he had anymore to find. Clay, looking down, watches a tear from his eye fall onto his shirt. He clears his throat to compose himself so the other boy doesn't get worried. But he couldn't ignore one thing.

His heart.

They were sat close to each other, legs almost touching. He could see the small chocolate stain on the green hoodie that he had given George earlier. He wondered if he noticed. He hoped he didn't. Below where the hoodie ended at the other boy's thigh was his wrist and then hand. He closed his eyes and slowly placed his fingers onto George's thigh and hand until he had been able to grasp the softness of his skin fully. George folded his hand, accepting Clay's, so that they were holding each other. 

George was surprised that his heart wasn't racing. At first touch it gave him a jolt but he felt it was normal to let Clay slip his hand into his. He could feel Clay's thumb softly rub his hand. When Clay turned his body ever so slightly, George finally looked over at him. 

An electric current ripped through George as he looked into Clay's eyes. Everything seem to move like he was in slow motion. Clay's other hand steadily making it's way to his cheek as his face got closer. 

When he felt Clay's breath smack up against his lips Clay had laced his hand on his cheek and stroked his cheekbone. George closed his eyes and leaned in.

His lips found Clay's. They were warm and wet. It was the first time he had kissed a guy, not much different than kissing Abby Schwartz last summer at a birthday.

_No. It was different._

He wanted this kiss. He yearned for this kiss. He cherished it as it was happening and would for a long time. 

Clay departed from George's face, his hand still caressed upon his cheek. He feels lost looking into the other's honey eyes. His hand slides down to the other boy's chin where he cups his fingers under and bring him back in for another kiss.

This time it was more passionate. He had a taste and wanted more. 

George didn't resist. He matched Clay's passion, this time placing his hand around the nape of his neck. 

They separated again looking into each other's eyes trying to catch their breath. They smiled. Clay went in again for a brief but soft kiss. 

He took what the world gave him. He took what he wanted and for so long he wanted George's lips on his. His problems were still there, but they weren't important. Not when the boy he just kissed, still holding onto his hand, rests his head on his shoulder. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope the suffering you guys have endured was worth it. The cliffhanger from last chapter was a last minute decision and I'm so happy you guys hated it :P. We have 3 chapters left. I written rough drafts for them already. Next chapter is probably going up in 4/5 days. 
> 
> If you''re interested I do have 2 other dnf fics ongoing;
> 
> Study Partner: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28782465/chapters/70582890  
> The Shadows of History: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28521099/chapters/69888606


	12. Tumult

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe we are in the last leg of this fic. Furthermore, I can't believe having 2200+ hits lol. Anyways, I hope you all enjoy this chapter. It was a bit of a mess but I think I put it together well. 
> 
> If any of the CC's want this fic taken down I will remove it.

_You made me feel sublime._

A touch of Clay's warm lips still lingered on George. The light tug on the back of his neck left him writhing in desire for more of Clay. How his tongue gently guided its way into his mouth sent a bolt of warmth down his body. 

George replays those few minutes in his head before and after he falls asleep in his bed. He wakes up feeling an aching desire for more. He wants Clay's hands to explore and examine every inch of his body.

There's a knock on his door and he suddenly hopes it is Clay on the other side. 

He imagines seeing Clay's face in front of him, smiling. He'd grab his arm, pulling him into his room and shutting the door behind him. He feels his breath radiate his nostrils as he reaches up to kiss the taller boy. His hands gliding ever so softly inside of his shirt, feeling the abs he's seen dozens of times at the beach, the other up his back. They pull apart for a moment wondering if this is what they want to do when George pushes him up against the now closed door to kiss him more ravenously.

The feral hormones of a young man taking control of his thoughts and actions. Their breathing increasing together like a balanced melody.

"George!" a voice calls out slamming the images into the ground. He's forced to leave his brain hanging. He won't be able to finish that imagery quite yet.

He opens the door.

It wasn't Clay.

His mother stood outside and told him that Sapnap was at the front door. She didn't know if he wanted him to come in or not. 

_Sapnap? Why?_

George walked to the door where Sapnap was waiting. He was in a bathing suit. Where's Clay? 

"What's up, Sapnap?"

"Clay sent me to ask if you wanted to come to the beach."

Clay sent him? He lives just next door. He always comes over to invite him. Immediately George begins to second guess everything that happened last night. Did he make a mistake? Did he misinterpret everything? No. He couldn't have. Clay kissed him first. He pulled him in. He bit his lip and stole his breath.

Sapnap saw the war raging on George's face but said nothing. He himself knew something was wrong. Clay never sent Sapnap to do anything he wanted to do himself, which told him that Clay wasn't really wanting George. But why?

George's face barely recovered before he spewed something he'd regret. 

"Yeah, sure. Let me just eat something and change."

Sapnap didn't leave. George expected him to take the cue and leave but Sapnap was curious as all hell. He was determined to find out what happened between George and Clay and he knows Clay is impossible to budge.

"You don't have to stay," George says nicely. He's confused but he doesn't want to be rude and make Sapnap feel unwanted. 

Sapnap tosses him a smile, "Oh no it's fine. It beats dealing with Punz arguing about what is a better snack to have on a hot summer day. The boy really said dippin dots."

George chuckled as the mood in the room quickly lightened helping take his mind off the racing of questions he has for himself and Clay. "They are pretty good."

"Why do you hate me?" Sapnap retorts jokingly. 

"Hate is such a strong word," George was now full on teasing him. "I would go with intelligently against."

The other boy shook his head, "You and intelligence go together like me and tofu."

George's jaw dropped. "Now that was just mean."

Sapnap shrugged and took a seat at the kitchen island as George grabbed the toast that his mother had placed in the toaster before she went outside. He opened the fridge and pulled out the container of apple juice. 

"Apple juice, huh? Clay loves apple juice." He tossed the bait and examined George's body immediately seize up for a couple seconds. It felt like minutes. It said more than anything George or Clay had said about themselves today. 

George cleared his throat, "Yeah I know. He's finished my containers of it without even letting me know. You don't know how many times I've opened the fridge to no apple juice because of him."

They both laugh, but the mood was awkward. George regretted talking about Clay. It made him feel sick as the questions he was ignoring slingshot back to the forefront of his brain. 

They sat there mostly silent afterwards, only briefly talking about the weather. It only reinforced Sapnap's belief that something was really wrong. When they walked down to the beach he didn't expect to see things between Clay and George to be awkward. But they were. He watched as George sat near Clay who then tensed up. They said hi and shared a look. He watched as the smile that was on Clay's face disappear when he looked down at his phone. He tapped the screen to see if he had gotten a notification. He did not. He repeated this action 4 more times as Sapnap watched, his face dropping with each action. 

Meanwhile, it was clear George was searching for more. He was searching for the attention Clay never had a problem giving to him. 

But Clay didn't. Clay got up and walked down to the water leaving George to himself. Sapnap immediately felt guilty. George had been amazing to hang out with this summer and he knew that Clay had feelings for him. But George leaves in nearly a couple weeks. 

"I'm going to hate when he leaves," Sapnap remembers Clay saying a couple days ago. 

"You can still talk to him. Maybe facetime. Who knows, maybe he'll come next year." 

Clay shook his head. He had recalled hearing his mother talking to George's and she distinctively said that it wasn't possible for them to come back next year. The money just wasn't there. This was a one time thing that she wanted to do for her son. 

"He won't be coming back next year."

Sapnap could see Clay about to break right then and there. He was attempting to hold everything back, but it was clearly becoming too much for him to resist. 

"I don't know what to do Sapnap. I feel like I'm being let go by one friend and I'm letting go of another. I don't want to let go of George. I don't want him to leave." His eyes got watery. He had said too much. 

Sapnap pulled his friend in to hug him. Clay let out some of what he'd been holding in for most of the summer. After a couple minutes of giving him support Sapnap had to say something. Anything to help. 

"Maybe tell them how you feel. I know you don't like talking about your Minecraft buddy. I get it. But not talking to him about him and you is stupid. You know this. Fuck the fact that you've never seen his face. Fuck how scared you are to show yours. If your friendship is as important to you as it seems then you deserve to know if he feels the same way. You deserve to fight for it."

Clay looked away. He couldn't meet his friend's gaze.

"What about George?"

Sapnap nervously chuckled. "What does he mean to you? You've never told me, man. You've been such a closed book. I'm left gossiping with Punz about you."

When Clay looked at him with strained eyes he sighed. "I-I don't know. He's not like anyone else to me. He's that piece of a puzzle I didn't know was out there. I'm scared when he leaves that he'll take the piece with him."

Sapnap froze. The Clay in front of him was different. He didn't expect this to be the Clay he had hidden away behind a soft smile and an endearing laugh. It reminded him of when he was with his ex-girlfriend. She had cheated on him even though he gave her all of his time. Then when he confronted her she lied to his face. 

So one night Clay asked her to hang out and she didn't want to, but Sapnap had saw that she was not home on Snap maps. She was at the home of some football player he and Clay knew. They went to the house and sat in the car until she walked out. When she did, she kissed the other boy. Clay was devastated. He didn't even confront her. He just broke up with her the next day. 

Sapnap was left to pick up the pieces, but this is also when he found out that he wasn't alone in doing so. Clay confessed to having a friend on the internet who he stays up late talking to. He was stunned to hear that he has had this friend for a couple years. It was a book of Clay's life that Sapnap never knew about. He felt slighted that Clay would keep this a secret for as long as he did, making him feel like he was untrustworthy. 

But that wasn't fair to Clay. The moment wasn't about Sapnap and he couldn't make it out to be.

"I just wanted someone who didn't know me. Someone that I had something entirely different in common with. Minecraft and coding was that. We don't have that. It felt weird to even mention him and every connection I have with him. His name is George."

Sapnap snapped out of his trip through memory lane. _George. Wait._ Everything he was just thinking about swirled together. The pieces started to come together. He recalls going to Clay's house and saw some snack called Jaffa Cakes. He wondered what it was and asked Clay. Clay told him it was a snack from the UK and it was his internet friend's favorite snack. He quickly flashes back to when George told Clay and the rest of them that Jaffa Cakes was his favorite snack. 

_No. It can't be. What are the chances? Did Clay find out? Is that why he is acting so weird? No. He wouldn't tell me to get George. But then why the hell did he? He just left._ Sapnap grunted out loud fed up with his train of thought. He stood up and walked down to the sea leaving the others looking at him confused.

"What's wrong with him?" Bad asked.

"It's Sapnap, what isn't wrong with him," Punz said dryly.

"True!" George said giggling.

~~~~~

The day didn't get better. George struggled to catch Clay's eyes like he was avoiding him. Every step of the day Clay just seemed so distant. It was different than how it was the previous night. A complete 180. 

It left him feeling alone.

The crew finished up at the beach and made plans to go to their favorite burger place, but as they walk George became less at ease. Pressure was building in his chest and his head. He stopped walking, already having drifted behind everyone. Punz was the first to recognize the steps behind him had stopped causing him to turn around.

"George, you okay?" The question led to everyone looking behind them. They saw George looking away from them rubbing the back of his head. Sapnap's eye peered over to Clay. His eyes dimmed. 

"I'm not feeling good, I think I'm going to go home."

Everyone knew he was lying. They all sensed the mood had shifted today but couldn't explain why. Silence befell them for a few moments. Sapnap waited for Clay to say something, anything. His mouth opened, but closed soon after. He said nothing.

"Are you sure?" Punz asked.

George's eyes glanced over and met Clay's. He said nothing.

"I am. I'll see you guys tomorrow." He turned around and walked away. 

"What the fuck?" Sapnap asks Clay who was borderline in tears. "You're going to let him walk away?"

Clay sighed and wiped away at his eye. "I have to."

Sapnap shook his head. "That's bullshit Clay, and you know it. You don't ask me to bring him to the beach and just ignore him. You treated him like shit."

"You don't think I know that!" he yelled.

"Oh okay," Punz says as he grabs the two by their shirts. "Let's go." He takes them into the public bathroom so that they aren't standing in the middle of the sidewalk yelling and getting emotional. He walks them in and tells Bad to stop anyone from coming in.

Sapnap glares at Clay who fighting off his tears. "What are you doing, man?"

"I kissed him. Okay. I kissed George and I hate myself for it. I was selfish."

Sapnap was taken aback. 

"Holy fuck," Punz said.

"What the muffin?"

Sapnap had believed that Clay may have found out that the George here is probably the same George that he knows online. But no. They kissed. 

"When?"

"Last night."

Sapnap shook his head. "That makes what you did today even worse. It makes you a scumbag."

Someone tries to come in.

"Someone shat themselves. You don't want to come further," Punz yelled not fully being able to trust Bad. 

The two boys continued. 

"I thought I could get past it, Sapnap. I went to bed last night wanting more. Then reality hit me. He leaves soon. I shouldn't have kissed him but I didn't think about him. I only cared about what I wanted."

"You think he didn't want to kiss you either?"

Clay looked up at him. He didn't know what to say. His mind had become a bottomless pit, tired from the constant overthinking. 

"Clay, you need to apologize to him. You can't just push him away like that. It's so much worse than him leaving and then you guys stop talking, even if I don't see how that would happen. You are being irrational."

"I don't want to argue anymore Sapnap. Please. This is hard enough for me."

Sapnap approaches Clay and taps his shoulder harshly. "Bro, and I mean this with all the love in the world, you just said the most selfish thing yet. Kissing him wasn't selfish. You thinking this is hard on you is selfish." He hugged Clay who didn't counter back. He just cried more. He felt listless.

But as usual Sapnap was there to support him.

"You can do it tomorrow." Sapnap said. "Just stop ruining yourself."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this was originally going to be the last chapter. However, when I had uploaded chapter 7 or 8 I became dissatisfied with Sapnap's role in the story. I knew I was going to do George and Clay/Dream well, but Sapnap felt too mean. Like I had finished the draft of the whole story then, and he still felt too mean. I stan Sapnap. Probably the most misunderstood person on the Dream Team lol, so I needed to fix it. There will be more to this after the next chapter which was originally chapter 12.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My ADHD made this chapter nearly impossible to edit. There's just been no way recently to get myself to focus like I need to so I apologize if this chapter is a bit messy.

Clay woke up with a mission today. He was going to clean up his mess. He was going to fully be honest with himself and the two people he's hurt the most this summer. 

First it was George. He did what he used to do and went to his house. It was an interesting routine he had when he started his day. He would always text Punz, Sapnap and Bad about meeting up, there homes being close to him too, but he would walk over to George's to drag him out. He wanted his presence like he couldn't get enough of it. It wasn't a slight against the others, he was just used to them. When summer vacation is over they go back to Orlando together. George leaves. Every day that passed left a sinking feeling in his stomach that got deeper and deeper.

When George answered the door he look tired, his eyes were puffy and slightly red. But he smiled. _Damn his smile._

"Hey."

"Hi," George weakly responded. 

Clay struggled to find the words. He had thought about exactly what he was going to say but he just froze. His mouth couldn't open. So he did the next best thing. He did what seemed to work with George. He hugged him. He held him tight.

"I-I'm sorry."

He wanted to say what he was sorry for. He wanted to show that he meant those words, but he was trying not to cry.

"It's okay, Clay."

Clay separated for him. "No, it's not. Please don't let me get away with this. I don't deserve that."

The other boy delicately laughed. "I didn't deserve you this summer."

That hit hard. Harder than George intended forcing Clay to take a moment before continuing. "Listen, I want to talk to you later. Maybe tonight up at the lifeguard chair. I have other things to do today and honestly you look like you need sleep, which I'm guessing is my fault." Clay nervously chuckles. "Sorry."

"Yes, it's your fault Clay. And yes, I want to talk to you too." George forced a smile.

"Okay. Okay. Um, right. I'll text you when I'm down there." 

George nodded and the two went there separate ways until tonight. 

The next thing Clay needed to do was deal with his internet friend. He had been pushing aside meeting up with him all summer long. There's been the shitty feeling between them this entire summer simply because he came to Florida. He was so close but Clay wanted to keep him so far. He was doing what Sapnap accused him of doing; ruining his happiness. 

Clay didn't want to keep ruining it, but he was still scared. He was scared to open up like that to someone he's met over the internet. He was scared for so many reasons. He's wanted to start up his own YouTube channel in hopes of making videos. He wouldn't show his face in the videos, it would just be his Minecraft skin and his voice. He would have anonymity and if he sent a picture of himself to someone who knows about YouTube it would risk that anonymity. This was the reason that started it. It was his go to reason every time. In reality it was a cheap excuse.

But there was one reason that started to overtake it. Because Dream doesn't want to show his face he's never asked GeorgeNotFound to show his, even though he wants to see what he looks like. Over the years as they've played Minecraft together he's grown this weird affection for him. It's weird because they've never spoken actual words to each other or seen each other, yet he feels like he has a crush on him. He has a crush on the personality. This is also why he never told him that he was bisexual. He didn't want there to be a deeper connection between them such that being in the LGBTQ community would bring. Then there is how Clay looks. Say he sends the photo and GeorgeNotFound doesn't find him attractive but he finds the other boy attractive?

Clay hates rejection. 

So he's satisfied with the status quo, but it has to change and that scared him. 

He's going to be honest with GeorgeNotFound. He's not going to see him this summer. He wants to spend the rest of his time with George. But instead he's going to buy a flight out to London to see him. He just needs to buy the ticket.

_Dream: Can you go on our world today?_

_GeorgeNotFound: Yeah. Is everything okay?_

_Dream: Honestly? No. I want to change that, but first I need to show you something._

_GeorgeNotFound: In 15?_

_Dream: Yup. I'll be at my house. See you then._

Clay set up his monitors so that he could set up Minecraft on one and look for flight on the other. He doesn't waste any time to search for flights out of Orlando to London. He has a couple dates picked out, but before he buys a ticket he wants to verify this plan with GeorgeNotFound who has already been through enough.

Funnily enough Clay has to do one more thing before even that. He needs to explain everything. He needs to show him how much he means to him, even if it's in a stupid block game.

When their characters meet inside of Clay's home he has his character punch into the air that looks like he is saying hi to GeorgeNotFound. He does the same thing back to Clay. He tells GeorgeNotFound to follow him to the room he had been working on. It wasn't anything serious, just a room. It was a room in his home on their server. 

_GeorgeNotFound: What's this?_

_Dream: Your room. I know it's stupid, but do you remember what I said when I first worked on this house last year?_

_GeorgeNotFound: Yes. This house represents your heart. That was your theme for the house._

The first house he created was your run of the mill wooden/stone house. It was boring, and that's exactly how it felt as the two of them kept playing. Then one day he saw something on reddit of someone who created a house based on a theme. A cat house. So he adopted the theme idea but took it a step further. Have a house where each room represents a part of who he is; his heart.

Throughout his home he has several rooms. One is for cats because he does love cats. He has another room that essentially acts as a library. There is another room that has stick figures with full netherite armor to represent Sapnap, Bad and Punz. There hasn't been one person who has meant as much to him as his Minecraft buddy and he wants him to know.

_GeorgeNotFound: ..._

_Dream: <3_

_GeorgeNotFound: <3_

Clay brought his friend over to a chest that was placed behind a sign that said, "For George." Inside he place a book surrounded by several stacks of emerald blocks. Clay saw the book in his hand and realized that everything he's been feeling, his emotions were on those pages and he was reading them. 

_"Hey George. I've built this room out for you because you are my best friend and you deserve it. But, I'd be lying if that was the only reason. This summer has been weird for me. I don't think I've done a good job at being your friend. I feel like crap half the time we talk because I feel inadequate. When we talk I feel like we are both on edge, like something is holding us down and we are afraid to address it. You're afraid of upsetting me and I'm afraid of losing you. Little did I realize that my fear of losing you has become so great that it has become a self-fulfilling prophecy. There was a time when I joked about you ditching me for a new friend. I shouldn't have made that joke because it came from a place of truth. I did fear that. I feared losing you. I feared never getting to play Minecraft with you. I think I took that out on you passive aggressively, and I am sorry. You are a rock in my life, someone that I can always count on to help me forget about the real world."_

His friend's character places the book back into the chest and then looks at Clay's green character.

_Dream: :')_

_GeorgeNotFound: Idk what to say. This is a lot, Dream._

_Dream: Is that a bad thing?_

_GeorgeNotFound: No, not at all. I think all I can say is that I love you._

_Dream: I love you too._

Clay paused as his fingers hovered over his keyboard. He knew what he had to do and what he needed to tell him. He needed to address the very reason for this internal strife, which has threatened their friendship. 

_Dream: I wanna visit you in the UK after you go home. I'm going to buy the tickets and send it to you so you know I am serious._

He was scared about what GeorgeNotFound would say. He was so scared because in effect he was telling him that he won't see him when he first promised to see him. 

_GeorgeNotFound: But I'm here in Florida now._

_Dream: I know. It's just I need to clear something up with someone important in my life before I meet you. But I will meet you. I want to. I want you to take me on walks through London. I want you to bring me to your favorite restaurant._

_GeorgeNotFound: Are you serious? Cause I want that too but I don't want to be made a fool._

_Dream: 100% serious. Should I come 2 days after you go back home? 3 days? When?_

_GeorgeNotFound: 2 is fine. I can sleep until you arrive lol._

Clay let out a loud and relieving sigh. His cheeks hurt from smiling so much. He was nervous but excited. He went to his other monitor to look at flight and picked a flight to go to London. 

_Dream: check your phone in a minute_

After Clay buys the ticket to go to the UK he take a picture of his email confirmation and sends it to GeorgeNotFound.

_GeorgeNotFound: Holy shit. This is real._

Then Clay took a picture of him giving a thumbs up and sent it just to further prove he was real about this. 

~~~~~

Clay was tired but he had one more thing to tick off before going to down to the beach to sit up on the lifeguard chair and talk to George about them. Sapnap. He needed to know that he was doing something. If he doesn't then he risks his best friend being an absolute pain in the ass.

So he knocks on his door and tells him to come out so they can talk on his porch. 

"What's up, man?" 

"So I'm going to London in less than 2 weeks."

Sapnap nearly chokes on the grapes he's eating. "Um what?"

Clay laughs. "You know my internet friend. I'm going to see him."

The other boy was still confused. "That was a fast turnaround from yesterday. I didn't think you were going to do it. And what about George? You know the guy you kissed."

Clay looked away. "I'm going to talk to him tonight. I don't really know what to do because I can't stop thinking about that kiss but then there is.." a moment of awkwardness struck him as he thought about his next words. "Then there is the other George." 

Sapnap shook his head. "Clay, you are in love with someone you've never met and you are infatuated by one you spent an entire summer with. Tell me you realize how complicated that is."

Clay rolled his eyes. "Was it not you who told me to do something? I am doing something, Sapnap."

Sapnap struggled with the realization he made yesterday, or at the very least what he believes to be a realization. He wants to tell Clay, but it could upend Clay in a way he doesn't know. But how can he get Clay to balance what he believes to be two totally different people without him getting hurt?

He decided against telling Clay his suspicions. "Sorry. Yes. What do you plan to do with the George that is here then?"

Clay took a deep breath. "I want to kiss him again, Sapnap. I can't stop thinking about him and the fire he lit in my chest. So I think I'm going to let him know that I like him a lot. That I want to get to know him more. I want a future with him."

"What if, when you meet GeorgeNotFound, you find him attractive? You two have a deeper attachment than you have with the George here, right?" Clay nods. "So what happens then?"

Clay shrugs. "I've been his friend this long. I'll just continue to be his friend."

The other boy didn't believe him. "You really think you can do that?"

He nods. "Yes, Sapnap. Maybe the long distance won't work the George here. Maybe friendship will be what we have to settle for, I don't know. I can't predict that."

Sapnap relented. He had gotten the answer he wanted in order to see where Clay's head at is. He's thought enough about it. For now he'll just pay attention to Clay and keep tabs on his two George's. 

~~~~~~

Every summer one of Dream's favorite things to do is to go down to the beach at night. The sand is so much cooler, kind of like how the sand feels after you dig down about a foot on a hot summer day. It's refreshing in a way. He also likes to feel the sea breeze smack him as he sits atop the chair. The chair itself makes him feel like a higher being looking out onto the ocean. 

It's purpose wasn't purely to have deep thoughts about life, it just became that way as he got older. It was mostly to just take in nature when he was younger. Maybe look at the planes as they flew by or watch the boats from afar. Eventually it grew into him doing that and talking to GeorgeNotFound. This is where he would sit while he texted him to sleep. Those quickly became his favorite moments. 

And now he shared a moment with George, the boy he met this summer. A boy he quickly fell for. A boy he doesn't want to hurt.

"Hey!" he hears that familiar soft accent. 

He looks over and sees the beautiful smile that makes him feel soft and warm. He's wearing that one green hoodie again. Clay bets George looks better in it than he ever could. When George gets up to sit next to him he moves over slightly so that they are close. 

"So what did you want to talk about?" George asked.

"Us," he answered.

George's smile was half as broad as it was when he first sat up on the chair. "Right. Did you want to kiss me?"

Clay looks at his eyes and stares longingly at them. "Yes. Since July 4th I've wanted to kiss you."

"Oh." A heavy silence cut through them sharply. "So what do we do now?"

Clay suddenly kept going back and forth with what he was going to say. He thought this evening he knew exactly what he was going to say, but then after talking with Sapnap it became less clear. He could see how it would've worked out, but Sapnap's words created a fog. 

"I think, I want to kiss you again, George. But," he took a deep breath trying to fight the knot in his stomach. "You leave soon and it's not fair for me to guarantee something more committed like a relationship, you know." He suddenly felt the urge to puke.

George was disappointed, but he looked over at Clay who was rubbing his knuckles with his thumb. He was disappointed but it was expected. He had thought about the idea of a long-distance relationship and understand how complicated that could be. Then there was Dream. Could he tell Dream that he was in a relationship after today? Probably not.

He slipped his arm into Clay's, held his hand and rested his head on his shoulder. Clay gripped his hand harder and can almost feel his eyes start to well up. 

"It's okay, Clay."

"I'll come and see you in the UK if you want." 

"I would like that," George whispers as he rubs Clay's knuckle. "Clay?"

"Yes, Georgie."

"So we're just friends, right? Good friends?"

"Yes."

George drew circles around the back of Clay's hand. "Can I have one more kiss?"

Clay didn't hesitate. He reached over, placed his hand under the stubble of George's chin and brought him in for kiss. It was like the first kiss they had. Tender. When they pulled apart, they did so slowly with their foreheads and noses still touching. He could feel George's breaths on his lips feeding him with desire. 

He goes back in for a quick peck on the smaller boy's lips and cherishes it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter to go. It will be up this weekend. Probably Sunday. I am excited to bring this story to a conclusion. This chapter was originally the last chapter, but like I said after the last chapter I wanted to make Sapnap's character better. I wanted him to have the moment of putting it all together. I promise it will be worth it though. The whole scene in Dream's minecraft home has been planned since the start except for Dream buying a plane ticket. What happened after that is a divergence from the original plan. I was going to have it end on George finally putting everything together and going next door and knocking on Clay's window. He would see him with red eyes and call him "Dream," and they would share a moment. 
> 
> Just giving you a little background into how I've changed this story since I came up with it. ^_^


	14. Summer's End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You've made it! Congrats for getting through the rollercoaster ride so far. I hope I made you guys happy as much as I made you all sad. Unfortunately, you are not done. The ride isn't actually over and I have one last peak for you to overcome. This chapter took me a long time to get right, so I hope it's worth it.
> 
> This story isn't meant to offend or make the CCs uncomfortable. If it did and they want it removed then I will take it down.

Today was the final day of George's trip. He was incredibly upset to wake up and know he'd have to get in a car and head to the airport. The last couple nights he'd been spending his nights with Clay, falling asleep in his arms so that he could take in every moment of Clay before he left.

The first thing he did when he got up was take a sip out of the apple juice container and look outside to the ocean. People had already started packing the beaches. 

"We have to leave here in 30-40 minutes so make sure everything is packed."

"It is. I just have a couple things out that can be slipped into my carry-on."

He didn't want to answer another question or listen to another word from her. He wasn't trying to be mean, he wasn't mad or annoyed. He was just in this state of sadness where he wants to curl up into a ball in the corner of a room and not deal with anybody or anything. He wants to stay here. There was only one good thing about going home; he gets to see Dream in 2 days.

It'll be a wild flip-flop in emotions for him. Sadness to leave Clay, slightly hopeful to get to see him again, and then happiness to see Dream. He's almost scared about the prospect of seeing him. 

After taking a shower he goes to finish up packing. As he packs away his toothbrush and the last of his cables he sees the light green hoodie sitting on the chair. _God._

This was going to be hard. He picked up the hoodie and folded it. He looked out his window and saw Clay standing up against his house in his bathing suit. He was waiting for him. His other friends were meandering nearby too but they seemed to be giving him space. 

He took a deep breath as he opened his front door. It felt like he was walking into a funeral. Even Clay's smile was forced. 

"I probably shouldn't take this with me," George said handing Clay's hoodie out. 

Clay looked down at it and then back at George. His smile seemed more real. "You can keep it. You'll wear it more than I will anyways. Think of it as you taking me with you back home."

"Clay.." George couldn't hold it. Clay watched George's face quickly crumble before his eyes. As usual he found himself holding the smaller boy up against his chest to support him.

"It's okay, George. We'll facetime every day."

George fights back the tears just so he could say something, "I know. I just want to stay here."

Sapnap approaches Clay and taps him on the shoulder. "We're going to head down to the beach. George, hopefully we'll get to see you again. By the way, I was totally right about you crushing on Clay."

Punz elbowed him. "Ignore the idiot. It was nice to meet you. I'm sure your glad that Clay intentionally threw that football at you." Clay immediately rejected the notion that he did that causing the boys to laugh. "He lies but when I told him that you were scared to hang with us he looked at you and said, 'I'm going to make him hang with us.'"

"That is not even remotely true," Clay retorted.

"Oh Clay, don't lie on his way out. That's so cruel," Sapnap adds.

"I hate you guys!" 

Clay pushes Sapnap jokingly leading to the group to laugh again, but then it suddenly falls silent when George's mom walks out with her luggage. Sapnap and the other two leave Clay with George to say goodbye while reality sets in for them. 

While George is trying to keep his composure, Clay is doing the same thing but for George. He wants to put on a strong face to make him feel that everything is going to be okay even though everything within Clay is falling apart.

George's mom notices the tension so she stays out of it. She puts her luggage in the car and gets in the driver seat and waits. Clay pulls George into the house to get his luggage and say one last goodbye. 

The two boys take one last gander around the house with a heavy tension between them. The taller boy peeks into the fridge and sees that it is empty. 

"When I come over, make sure you have apple juice." They chuckle nervously.

"Of course."

George grabs his luggage which he placed outside the kitchen and then walks to the door with it. Clay stops him from going outside. The tension has reached it's precipice. They've walked to the edge of the cliff together, but both can't continue further. 

"Nobody gets to see me say goodbye to you." Throughout the summer Clay has been flying. He's gone through turbulence with wild ups and downs. But recently he's made like Icarus and has flown too close to the sun.

But he doesn't care. 

He cups George's face in his hands and passionately kisses him up against the door until they are both breathless. He wondered for a brief moment if he was going to regret kissing him like this as he looked down into the shorter boy's hazel eyes, but it was pointless. The moment was so much greater. So he leaned in for another kiss. He let his soul melt into the other boy's smooth and wet lips. 

It was there last kiss before goodbye.

George looked outside the window and knew he had to go. He placed his hand on the door knob and opened the door. It all felt final. 

"Goodbye Clay." His voice cracked.

George watched Clay put on that fake smile he was so good at putting on. He did it for him but he wish he didn't. George had felt everything Clay was feeling in those two kisses. The pain, the desire, the loss, but also the gain. He told him so much without saying a single word. 

"Goodbye Georgie."

The line fucked them both up. Georgie felt his throat close up so he walked out of the house. When he looked back he saw Clay still standing in the home. He didn't move, but he still had a smile on his face.

"Go, George. I'll close up, no worries."

George couldn't summon himself to say anything. All he could do was nod and walk away with Clay disappearing from his peripheral. He got into the car and then looked back at the house one last time. When his mom drove off he hoped to see Clay come out. He wanted one more glimpse of the boy who's stolen his heart.

He didn't get it. 

Clay was too busy crying. When he heard George's car door close he fell to the ground, curled himself up against the wall and cried. All of the pent up emotions he'd been building were flowing and he couldn't bother to stop them. He was alone. 

Eventually he made his way down to the beach. His friends could tell he had been crying. 

"How you doing, man?" Sapnap asked as Clay sat next to him. He tossed his arm around his friend.

"This sucks, Sapnap. I'm trying to hold it together."

Sapnap chuckled, "You clearly failed at that."

Clay smiled. "I hate you."

"I know. Listen, you two will be fine. But don't forget you have that trip in two days to the UK."

"Excuse me? Clay you have a what?" A woman's voice said. 

~~~~~~

George and his mom had been silent as they drove to the airport. His mom kept trying to start small conversations about whether he enjoyed his time and what is favorite moment was but George didn't want to talk. Everything that he liked about the trip involved Clay and he didn't want to break down whilst in a car with his mother. 

But if he had to pick one moment it wouldn't be the first time he kissed Clay. It seems obvious that it would be but the one moment that stood out above the rest the day at Universal and Islands of Adventure. Clay had essentially dedicated his entire day and night to George. He went with him to the Harry Potter world when nobody else wanted to. They shared butter beer together and Clay bought him the wand that he wanted. 

Then there was the icing on the cake, so to speak, when they got to watch the lightshow that occurred around Hogwarts Castle. The happiness, the simple happiness he felt in that moment in Clay's arms, resting his head on him, was second to none. 

For a nanosecond George felt happy, but it all came crashing down when he checked his phone and saw a text from Dream. He stared at the letters on the screen as if his brain was trying to blur them from him. He read it multiple times before he came to grasp them.

_Dream: I can't come in two days. I was forced to cancel the flight._

George didn't believe him. He just thought Dream got too scared and chickened out. Now he's saying he was forced? How?

_GeorgeNotFound: How?_

_Dream: I never ran it through my mom and when she found out that I didn't know exactly who you were she forbid it._

To be fair it was believable. Up to this point George hadn't told his mom that a friend was coming to visit. It was a glaring misstep by him. There was a riptide of emotions banging against the walls of George's mind. On one hand this might be a good thing. His mom would probably freak that he didn't consult her about Dream coming. On the other it was just another round of bad news. His brain grabbed on to the latter and dragged him deeper into the hole. 

This wouldn't have happened if Dream just met with him while he was here. He's been in Florida for months now. 

_GeorgeNotFound: Ok._

If he had typed out anymore he would've lost it. He would've broken down into tears and probably would've said something that would hurt Dream and himself. 

After several minutes pass he received another message from Dream, which only serves to split the wound even further.

_Dream: What city is your breach house?_

_GeorgeNotFound: Daytona, but I left. I'm going home now, Dream._

He stared down at the phone waiting for Dream to respond. The green little circle next to his name indicated he was still online but he wasn't responding. When it went gray to indicate that he went offline, he turned off his phone. _Exactly, Dream. It's too late._

He thought about texting Clay just to feel better but as his mind dragged him further into the depths of corrupted thoughts he didn't want to resist it anymore. It wasn't worth the fight especially if he's just going to miss Clay even more. 

This was worse than it was a couple weeks ago. Back then it was like he was being drowned but he could still see the light above. Now, every way he looks is the same shade of darkness. There isn't a light to be seen.

After arriving at Orlando International they go to return their rental car. It should be a pretty seamless action but then they get dinged on some car damage that hadn't been there when we picked it up. George didn't really pay attention to everything but his mom seemed mad and the clock was ticking.

George's mom liked to get to the gate with an hour to spare, especially with security in America. George could care less when he gets to the gate. He's gone to Germany on his own and arrived at the gate 5 minutes before they started boarding.

After they finished that they went to check in their bags which forced them onto a long line and further irritated George's mom. She kept looking at her watch every minute as if she could make time change. 

George feels his phone vibrate. 

_What now?_

He wonders if he should even bother looking at his phone. As he hesitates his phone buzzes again so he looks at it.

_Dream: I'm here._

_Dream: Turn around, George._

George just stared at the texts. _How could he be here? How could he know who I am? What is happening._

_Dream: <3_

George could feel his eyes become constrained as they try to keep the tears at bay. He slowly turned around and at first he couldn't tell what he was looking for until he saw him. He saw the dirty-blonde hair first and then the shirt he wore the first time they met. 

Then his smile.

He got off of the line without saying anything causing his mom to call out for him. He pushes his way through the people on line and is quickly just feet away from him. He can't believe what he is seeing.

"Clay?" The words whittled as his voice fell apart. 

"Dream," Clay corrected him. 

George felt a shiver up his spine. Had he missed this the whole summer? How?

"Sapnap figured it out. Kind of embarrassing, right?" He lightly chuckled as he grasped the other boy's hand into his. "I hate that I never asked you where you were, GeorgeNotFound. I'm so sorry for the pain I've caused you."

A tear slipped out of Clay's glassy eyes, slowly streaking down to his upper lip where it got lost. 

"I love you, Georgie."

"I love you too." George heard himself repeat those exact words again. He looked behind Clay and saw his friends; Sapnap, Punz and Bad. Sapnap gave him a thumbs up. "Do they get to share this moment?"

Clay laughed briefly. "Yes." 

George moved forward, pressing his body up against Clay's as he kissed the taller boy. He didn't care if he was in a crowded airport. He didn't care if people saw them. 

"YEAH!!!! To the boys!" Clay and George separated to see Sapnap cheering them on, the other boys hooting and hollering. 

With his hands still around the shorter boy, Clay looks back at him and chuckles. "I told you he didn't dislike you."

"Shut up and kiss me again."

Clay pulls him up and gives him a long and tender kiss allowing the electricity between both of the boys to flow between each other freeing themselves from fearful shackles. They were free to love each other, free from the tricks their own minds played on them. 

"Clay?"

"Yes, Georgie?"

"Ask me what I see in front me one more time?"

Clay chuckled, "What do you see in front of you?"

George glides his fingers in Clay's hair. "My eternal summer." He reached up and kissed the taller boy one more time. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to say thank you all for reading this. I didn't expect to have many readers. This story actually touched on some personal stuff for me so it was nice to write it down and see your reactions. 
> 
> I do hope that you all enjoyed the ending. It was a little cliché, I admit, but I thought it was the best way to get them to find out that they've known each other for years. I did rewrite this chapter once because I originally kicked the revelation down the road for another chapter but ultimately I just wanted to end it. Like I wasn't going to have the reunion at the airport. It was going to be in the UK with Clay showing up at George's home, but I didn't like the idea as much. I couldn't quite come up with how to write it well so I went with this. Plus, I liked tying in a few moments from the story in that last scene in the airport. I couldn't do that with the other idea of ending it in the UK. It would just be a Clay/George moment alone and it felt empty. 
> 
> There isn't going to be a sequel to this. The story has been told in my eyes. However, if you like this style of my writing I think you will like my other DNF fic, Study Partner, which is also about to wrap up. I like writing George has the dorky and angsty young adult. There may be another DNF fic from me in a couple weeks, but that's to be determined. 
> 
> If you have any questions or comments feel free to leave them down below. I do always look at comments.


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